The Women's Cookbook

Women have apparently been buying cookbooks for years, hence the necessity for this sex-specific title may elude feminists and chefs alike. The authors (Bensley is associate editor of Henry Lambert's Pasta and Cheese Cookbook; Sullivan is coauthor of PMS/Premenstrual Syndrome devote half of the chapters to sensible, if unoriginal, discussions of PMS, vitamins, depression, heart disease, cancer, hypoglycemia, eating disorders, fatigue, osteoporosis and other topics that will interest women readers, but concede: ""Although we have called this book The Women's Cookbook, these recipes are suitable for anyone who wants to keep off the high-calorie circuit.'' The tempting faresoups, salads, egg and cheese dishes, fish, poultry and meat entrees, pastas and grains, vegetables, sauces and dressings, and dessertsis low in calories, easy to prepare and ranges from basic (egg salad, tomato sauce) to innovative (blackened redfish, gingered lamb meatballs). (August 13)