Garden Variety Cookbook: More Than 500 Vegetable and Fruit Recipes for Non-Vegetarians

Following the USDA recommendation that to help prevent disease we should eat twice as much produce as we now do, Schlesinger ( The Low-Cholesterol Olive Oil Cookbook ) has come up with the Garden Variety Plan, which shows you how to ``painlessly and deliciously integrate 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day into an anticancersic , antihypertension, heart-healthy diet.'' The Plan depends on the use of the ``Fabulous 40 Garden Variety Fruits and Vegetables,'' which are divided into groups according to their supply of vitamins A and C, beta carotene and fiber. Recipes cover all meals and time requirements, from ``Quick Takes'' selections like fruit salad shake and mahimahi with pears, to ``At Your Leisure'' dishes like veal chops with apricots and scallop vegetable bisque. Schlesinger's treatment of the microwave oven gives a handy, often forgotten recap of vegetable cooking techniques, as well as some nearly effortless recipes, like vegetable stew. This fare may lack the exotic touch of a pioneering chef, but it actively addresses the needs of sophisticated cooks who wish to make vegetables a greater part of their daily culinary regimen. Few cookbooks treat their subject with more practicality and respect. (June)