I hardly ever follow recipes anymore (except for those in vegan family meal plans), but I can't resist buying a few new vegan cookbooks every year and borrowing a bunch of books from the library. Many traditional meat-based recipes can be easily adapted to a vegan diet by replacing them with vegan ingredients. Also, when I make vegan food, it's usually something spontaneous, so I use what's in my pantry. You see, after many years as a vegan who mainly cooks whole foods on the healthier end of the spectrum, my taste buds have learned to appreciate dishes that are very different from conventional North American food.
I don't ever plan to follow a plant-based diet, and sometimes when I prepare vegan meals, they become vegetarian foods because the idea of making vegan macaroni and cheese makes me not want to cook.
