As more people decide to become vegetarians--or nearly so--the scope of vegetarian meals is growing, too. No longer defined by the absence of meat, vegetarian cooking is an expansive, healthful, and delicious cuisine. No cookbook makes this more evident than The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook by Diana Shaw, author of Almost Vegetarian (Clarkson Potter, 1994; 175,000 copies sold). Filled with irresistible recipes and useful, accessible information, The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook will be the authoritative guide for everyone who wants to eat vegetarian and needs to know how. Comprehensive, witty, and instructive, the book offers more than 600 (low-fat!) dishes and features mini-cooking lessons called "Make It Your Own," which teach cooks how to adapt recipes to their own tastes. And the recipes themselves will satisfy all appetites in all kinds of ways, from luscious muffins to creamy calzones to savory stews to spicy curries to a devilishly tempting chocolate soufflé cake. . . that happens to be low fat.   The spirited, substantial introduction covers the basics of vegetarian meal planning and includes everyday and festive menus as well as menus for those with dietary concerns. An extensive appendix offers information about vegetarian cooking, such as: guides to beans, vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices, flours, grains, and dairy and soy products; a list of favorite brands; mail-order information; a kitchen utensils guide; a glossary of cooking terms; and kitchen strategies, such as how to work in a small kitchen, entertain last-minute guests, and customize convenience foods. Throughout the book, upbeat informational sidebars provide tips on many topics, including how to choose the best ingredients and how to repair a recipe gone awry. And all of the recipes are accompanied by do-ahead tips, preparation times, storage advice, and nutritional information.         Engaging, encouraging, and contagiously enthusiastic, Diana Shaw's The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook is more than a rich collection of recipes; it's a pleasure to read. Inspiring and instructional, this book will be savored by everyone who loves food of all kinds. This big new book by the author of Almost Vegetarian (LJ 9/15/94) offers more than 600 light, fresh recipes, including lots of variations ("What To Add and When To Add It"), along with information on ingredients ("Curious Cooks Want To Know..."), techniques ("Harried Cooks Need To Know..."), nutrition, and other culinary matters. Shaw has a dry sense of humor, and she obviously loves food (unlike some authors of low-fat cookbooks, who seem to be afraid of it). Both a cookbook and a reference, this is indeed an essential purchase for most collections. Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. le decide to become vegetarians--or nearly so--the scope of vegetarian meals is growing, too. No longer defined by the absence of meat, vegetarian cooking is an expansive, healthful, and delicious cuisine. No cookbook makes this more evident than The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook by Diana Shaw, author of Almost Vegetarian (Clarkson Potter, 1994; 175,000 copies sold). Filled with irresistible recipes and useful, accessible information, The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook will be the authoritative guide for everyone who wants to eat vegetarian and needs to know how. Comprehensive, witty, and instructive, the book offers more than 600 (low-fat!) dishes and features mini-cooking lessons called "Make It Your Own," which teach cooks how to adapt recipes to their own tastes. And the recipes themselves will satisfy all appetites in all kinds of ways, from luscious muffins to creamy calzones to savory stews to spicy curries to a devilishly tempting ch "Diana Shaw has, in her indomitable way, interested so many of us in vegetarianism as a cuisine, not just a lifestyle. I thank her for hundreds of excellent ideas." -Martha Stewart "I am totally convinced that a decision to creatively change one's food habits and enjoy the result must include a substantial increase in knowing how best to cook vegetables. Diana's book is a wonderful resource to this end for both those who are vegetarians and those of us heading in that direction." -Graham Kerr From the Introduction: "We're tapping the best of everything at hand, from our abundant crops to the traditions of people who've moved here from other places, still hungry for what they had at home. While we are able to buy sacks of 'all-purpose' potatoes, we can also get Katahdins, Red Dales, Purple Peruvians, and Yukon Golds. Iceburg lettuce is still on the shelf, but we can also choose among radicchio, m'che, and all manner of mesclun. We can buy plain, old baked beans in a can, but we can also get plump, glossy, fresh dried beans at the market or through the mail." "Once vegetarian meals were called 'meatless.' But as you'll find in all that follows, vegetarian meals have become too inclusive to be named for what's not on the plate. Consequently