The Complete Soy Cookbook

In what surely must be the most comprehensive cookbook dealing with soy products to date, Mitchell (The Complete Book of Dressings) describes ""how to make these powerful mystery foods taste great."" Because soy proteins can assist in lowering cholesterol, protecting against cancer and heart disease and reducing the risk of osteoporosis, Mitchell advocates adding them to all kinds of dishes. In a cavalcade of easy-to-prepare, multicultural appetizers, soups, salads, breads, entrees and desserts, soy in all its different forms--miso, tofu, tempeh, TVP (texturized vegetable protein)--is demystified. Tofu, for instance, is blended painlessly into everything from Blue Cheese Dressing, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, or Stuffed Shells with Tomato-Basil Sauce to an inspired Tiramisu; it also makes a great sour cream substitute. Soybeans are folded into Greek Pastiso, TVP into Broccoli Burritos and Tempeh into Rice Wraps with Hoisin-Peanut Sauce. In this accessible, practical guide, Mitchell offers fare for vegetarians and vegans and she encourages the carnivores among us to aim for a few vegetarian menus per week. This is not, as she says with considerable accuracy, just ""meatless mealtime."" It is ""vegetarian dining."" (Jan.)