Vegetarian Fast and Fancy: Great Garden of Eating

For Darling (Entertaining! Fast and Fancy; The New Joy of Eating, etc.) vegetarian eating is not a fad or ""just good for you,"" but a celebration of nature's bounty. Easy-to-prepare recipes, even for kitchen tyros, focus on contemporary and traditional vegetarian dishes in this wide-ranging all-purpose compendium. Among the 450-plus entries, there are unusual combinations--Wild and Brown Rice with Apricots and Chestnuts--along with such familar vegetarian fare such as eggplant or spinach lasagna, and frittatas. There also are recipes for making pizza dough and flatbreads and a cornucopia of side dishes (Baked Red Onions with Thyme; Sauteed Cucumbers with Chives & Dill). International dishes include a Caribbean Vegetable Jambalaya, German-Style Sauerkraut Soup, Quesadillos with Chiles and Cheese, and Yellow Rice Paella with Artichoke Hearts and Red Peppers. Modest use is made of such convenience foods as canned chiles, cake mixes and store-purchased puff pasty, but generally the recipes call for fresh, straightforward ingredients as Darling serves up accessible, uncomplicated vegetarian recipes well suited for wide range of home cooks. (Aug.)