CARROT CAKE with Tofutti Cream Cheese Icing

When the family food snob (we all know who you are Kevin) was asked to judge between Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese and 'Philly' Cream Cheese icing for this cake, we blindfolded him and assembled witnesses. He choose Tofutti! Three cheers for the lactose-intolerance team!

Preheat oven 300 degrees. Prepare 13x9" sheet cake pan with light oil coating then dust with flour.

In medium mixing bowl combine:
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups oil
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Blend for 2 minutes

In separate bowl, add:
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
3 tsp baking soda
Mix dry ingredients until well blended. Then add the egg-sugar mixture, beating for about 1 minute and scraping the bowl often.

With a wooden spoon, fold in:
3 cups finely grated fresh carrots
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (pecans work as well)

Pour mixture into cake pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes if using a corning dish. If using metal cake pan, check cake after an hour and adjust remaining minutes if needed.

Cream Cheese Frosting
8oz Tofutti cream cheese or soft cream cheese such as Philly Brand
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter
2 cups confectionery sugar (less if using dairy cheese)

Blend all of the ingredients well and frost the cake once it has cooled to touch.

SEA BASS PROVENCAL

If you are fortunate enough to have fresh sea bass, halibut or yellowtail, you will love the way this recipe brings out the light tenderness of the fish. This dish is especially delicious with homegrown tomatoes and basil.

Ingredients
4 6-8 oz sea bass fillets (halibut or yellowtail work as well)
4 tablespoons olive oil
Lemon pepper

Clean and pat dry the fillets. Rub lemon pepper over fish, lightly salt and dredge in flour.

Prepare the following before frying the fish:
2 tablespoons capers, drained
2 shallots, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3 cup clam juice
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fresh basil chopped and divided into 2 equal parts
1/2 cup Kalamata (or black) olives, pitted and chopped
4 fresh plum tomatoes seeded and diced or 1 cup can diced tomatoes, drained

Directions:
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in heavy skillet on medium heat. Add fish cooking 3 to 4 minutes per side depending on thickness. Be careful not to overcook. When still just a little pink inside, transfer to warm platter, cover and keep warm. The fish will continue to cook a few minutes on the warm platter.
Add remaining oil(2 tablespoons) to the skillet with shallots and red pepper flakes to saute' for 2 minutes until shallots are soft. Mix in 1/4 cup basil, tomatoes, capers, olives, then add clam juice and wine. Boil about 4 minutes or until sauce thickens. Spoon over fillets. Serve immediately with rice, couscous or angel hair pasta.

Angel Hair Pasta with Clam Marinara Sauce

What could be easier? Heat the sauce, follow the few tricks adding the ingredients, boil the pasta, pour the wine and voila!
We like to use Classico's Spicy Red Pepper Sauce as it has just the right amount of tang for the clams. Using one can of minced and one can of chopped clams, adds more texture to the sauce. We order by the case from Amazon. Snow's Clams, Minced, 6.5-Ounce Cans (Pack of 24)

Have on hand:
pasta cooker or large kettle
pasta strainer
large skillet or saucepan

Ingredients
1 lg jar of Classico Spicy Red Pepper Sauce (or similar)
2 teaspoons Reese's Anchovy Paste
2 teaspoons Oregano
1/2 cup to one whole bottle of clam juice (opt)
1 can chopped clams + juice
1 can minced clams + juice
Shake some red pepper flakes into sauce (opt - to taste)
Parmesan and/or Romano Cheese

But wait! Don't put the clams in until the very last minute! Doing so will keep them from getting rubbery and tasteless. Simmer the sauce with anchovy paste, the clam juice from the canned clams PLUS the extra 1/2 cup clam juice, and oregano. The more clam juice you add, the longer it will take the sauce to reduce into a slightly thick consistency. It's a longer wait - maybe 30 minutes vs 15-20, but worth it!
Boil the angel hair pasta for 4 minutes. Add the clams to the sauce just before serving. Drain pasta, and ladle with generous servings of sauce. A warm merlot or cabernet savignon complements the spicy sauce and accentuates the clams.