Main-Course Vegetarian Pleasures

Lemlin (Vegetarian Pleasures), winner of a James Beard Cookbook Award, serves up 125 meatless main-course recipes to which speed of preparation is the key. Most of the recipes require only 30 minutes of prep time, and many can be prepared ahead in stages. While arguably asserting that frozen vegetables can be substituted for fresh ``without sacrificing flavor or texture,'' Lemlin also observes, rather sensibly, that if she used only freshly cooked beans rather than canned she would eat fewer beans. She suggests keeping on hand certain non-perishable staples and rotates them in and out of her recipes. Although there are few lightning bursts of imagination and her spicing tends to the minimalist, Lemlin does offer recipes of flavor and heartiness in helping sizes meant to satisfy, which they do. A recipe for Baked Vegetables with Garlic, White Beans and Olives that seems on paper likely to be a bit bland is, on the plate, just right. (May)