Book excerpt: Abstract: Health and nutritional benefits of legumes, and over 200 recipes for a variety of international legume dishes are presented in this cookbook. Guidelines for buying and storing dried legumes, and for cooking legumes with a minimal amount of time and effort, are outlined. Recipe categories include 1) hor d'oeuvres, 2) soups, 3) salads, 4) main dishes--from the United States, Europe,; Latin America, India and Pakistan, China, Japan, and Polynesia, Africa and the Middle East, and 5) desserts. A recipe index is included.