The host of Food in a Flash on The Food Network on cable television presents health-conscious, meatless dishes utilizing the greens and pasta of California cooking, along with variations on Southern favorites. 25,000 first printing. The association of food with love is common among chefs and food writers, but the relationship between food and literacy? Television cook Aikens, who learned to read after the age of 26, shows his dual love of food and reading. What's unusual about his meatless selections is that they must be quick, easy, and convenient; the directions are simple, and the recipes do not require a lot of equipment. Barbara Jacobs