Hey there. I'm Vaishali, the author and recipe creator at Holy Cow Vegan, where I have been sharing tasty and affordable plant-based recipes since 2007. My recipes are designed to be alluring enough for the discerning cook but easy enough for a beginner. There are more than 1,000 recipes on this blog and I hope everyone--vegan, vegetarian or omnivore--will find something here that they will love.
Cooking and animal welfare have always been my greatest passions. My recipes have featured in publications around the world but more importantly, they have been tried, tasted and loved by thousands of home cooks looking to add more plant-based food to their diets.
Here are a few more fast facts about Holy Cow Vegan and me:
- I live in Silver Spring, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C.
- I was born in Bombay (or Mumbai), India's busiest megalopolis and a salad bowl of Indian culture. Growing up in Bombay meant I had access to the many diverse cuisines that make up "Indian food."
- My family is my husband Desi (also the photographer for the blog), my son Jay, and my four divine fur babies, all rescues -- Lily and Leo (dogs) and Billy and Kala (cats).
- Holy Cow Vegan was born on November 28, 2007. At the time it was the first vegan recipe blog on the web with a focus on veganizing Indian recipes. I've been posting vegan recipes here for more than 17 years now.
- My favorite foods are savory. And they usually have potatoes in them. French fries are especially unsafe around me.
- The foods I cook are healthy and easy and delicious and always free of animal products. Most of the recipes you'll find on this blog are both kid- and adult-friendly.
- In my former life I worked as a political journalist navigating political shenanigans in Congress and the Maryland statehouse, and I've worked as a reporter in three countries--India, the United Kingdom and the United States.
- My idea of bliss is spending time with my family or relaxing with a good book or the New York Times crossword. When I cook I listen to old Hindi songs (especially by Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar). I also love bingeing on YouTube videos about simple living and minimalism -- while I am not there yet, I hope to be some day.
- My pet peeve is when people forget the first "r" in turmeric. It's not tumeric, guys, and the first four letters are pronounced just like "term" 😉 And oh, while we're at it, I have one more --it's not a chai tea, it's not a chai latte: a chai is simply a chai. Chai means "tea" in Hindi, and in India, a chai is always made with milk. Calling it a chai tea or a chai latte is like calling an apple pie "an apple pie pastry made with apples". See? Redundant. And I don't care if Starbucks thinks "chai tea" or "chai latte" are right--they aren't.
My Story
I started to write this food blog in 2007 shortly after becoming a vegan and about four years after going vegetarian. I've loved the alchemy of cooking for as long as I can remember, and I enjoyed eating meat as much as I enjoyed using it in the meals I made for myself and my family.
Until.
Desi and I adopted our great old dog Lucy (scroll down for her picture). Loving her -- and Opie who followed soon after -- as much as I did set me thinking about the complex intelligence of animals. The more I thought about it, the less I wanted to participate in the cruelty of meat production where billions of sentient animals just as sweet and wonderful as my dogs and cats are killed every year. In 2005 I became a vegetarian and two years later I had transitioned to a fully vegan life.
Because of how much I loved food, I challenged myself to create recipes that would taste as good as anything I'd ever cooked or eaten in my past life. Because I loved to write, I thought it would be a great idea to start a food blog to share these recipes with others who were looking for ways to either cut out or cut down on meat.
Today, Holy Cow Vegan reaches millions of readers with original, fresh and healthy recipes that I cook up in my kitchen.
What you'll find on Holy Cow Vegan
- Easy, quick, healthy and hassle-free plant-based recipes. This is food we eat in our home every day, food you can cook whether you are a novice or an expert, and food you will love whether you are an omnivore or a vegan or somewhere in between. All recipes use clean, wholesome, natural ingredients, most of which are already in your pantry.
- Recipes for special diets. More than half the recipes on this blog are gluten-free and vegan (including lots of gluten-free vegan desserts!). You will also find many recipes suited to a low-carb and keto vegan diet.
- Kid-friendly recipes. As a mom, I focus on creating recipes that are kid-friendly as well as adult-friendly!
- Global and Indian vegan recipes. You can take your palate on an adventure around the world with Mexican, Italian, Irish, African and Mediterranean recipes. You can also browse tons of vegan Indian recipes, from traditional and restaurant favorites like chana masala and vegan butter chicken to more modern dishes with my own spin, like this tasty vegetable curry and chickpea curry.
- Vegan baked goods. I love to bake, so you'll find lots of recipes for homemade vegan cakes, vegan cookies, vegan pies and vegan breads. I've been baking with sourdough and nurturing a sourdough starter long before it became trendy to do so.
My fur family
On this blog you'll find many pages dedicated to all the wonderful dogs and cats who have been part of our family over the years, including our current group of four furry troublemakers.
Leo was rescued from a dog meat farm in Korea and flew halfway around the world to find a home with us, Lily was a street dog rescued from Puerto Rico. Billy, our adorable tuxedo cat, was found roaming the streets of Virginia. Kala Jamoon, our resident black cat, simply wandered off the streets to settle into our hearts and home.
More about Holy Cow Vegan
I add new recipes at least twice every week. You can sign up here to get notified about new recipes by email (it's free!). Or you can follow Holy Cow Vegan on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter.
The blog's name calls out the dichotomy in the Indian diet and religious belief system. Cows are worshipped as holy but hundreds of thousands of cows are also tortured in factory farms to supply Indians' love for milk and milk products. I try to show, through this blog, that Indian food can be just as delicious without the dairy.
Yes! Indian food might appear difficult but there are many recipes that are quite easy and can easily be made by someone new to Indian cooking, like this basic but delicious dal or this easy vegetable curry. You will need a few spices that can easily be found at Indian grocery stores or through online retailers, including Amazon.
You can leave a comment on the recipe (it's the quickest way to get a response and I read and appreciate every comment). Or you can email me at MyVeganWorld@gmail.com. If you'd like to share a photo of the recipe please post it on Instagram and tag me @HolyCowVegan.
Useful links
Check out some of my top recipes
She passed away in 2012, but lives in my heart forever. Thank you, Lucy. I love you.
Holy Cow! has featured in:
Gsnchari@yahoo.com
Hi Vaishali,
You are an absolutely amazing cook. Excellent job on posting all the recipes and the very appetizing photos . I have tried several of your recipes after getting introduced to your site by my sister Sujatha. Do you have a place where you have recipes for dog food and treats. I have a love bug called Murphey --- a labradoodle , at 60 lbs he loves to eat.
Wishing you many happy, healthy years of cooking ahead.
Sandya
Vaishali
Hi Sandya, I have only posted one dog biscuit recipe, which is shocking now that I think of it, given that dogs are a big part of this blog. Search for "peanut butter dog biscuits" in the search bar.
Hugs to Murphey. I've never met a dog who didn't love to eat. It's part of their charm, I guess. 🙂
Cheryl Brown
Hi Vaishali,
I cannot praise your site enough! First of all, I must give thanks to Indian cooking, which showed me the way to take my family vegetarian 35 years ago, when there was virtually no help or guidance on how to do so (no internet). I raised my three children as vegetarians, and two years ago my oldest daughter showed me why I needed to go vegan; I only regret that it took so long for me to see the light. Nevertheless, I am ever so grateful. I absolutely LOVE to cook and I use your recipes religiously, to the amazement of family and friends. My heartfelt thanks to you for all you do to educate and delight us with your recipes.
Peace,
Cheryl
Vaishali
Thank you for your kind words, Cheryl, you are awesome. I think it's so wonderful that you raised your kids vegetarian-- it not an easy job, I know, because I am trying to keep my son, Jay, vegetarian but he is often tempted, I can see, by friends at school eating meat. I try and explain how our food "farms" work to him, and I hope one day he will understand.
Anuj Agarwal
Hi Vaishali,
My name is Anuj Agarwal. I'm Founder of Feedspot.
I would like to personally congratulate you as your blog Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes has been selected by our panelist as one of the Top 100 Vegan Blogs on the web.
I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world. This is the most comprehensive list of Top 100 Vegan Blogs on the internet and I’m honored to have you as part of this!
Also, you have the honor of displaying the badge on your blog. Use the code to display the badge proudly on your blog.
Best,
Anuj
Vaishali
Thanks!
Danielle
Hi Vaishali,
I am so excited to have found your website and have added to my favorites. My husband I have been maintaining a plant based diet with occasional fish for six months now. We love how it has transformed our health, bodies, and what it does for animals! We love to cook and our daughter introduced us to Indian food several years ago. We eat a lot of curries and rajma masala is our current favorite. Can't wait to branch out and try your recipes. Thanks for sharing!!
Vaishali
Thanks, Danielle, hope you try!
Anonymous
Hi Vaishali, i just saw the photo of Lucy after visiting your page and she looks like such a wise doggie. beautiful pic of your pup. what she is shows clearly on her face. you were luck to have her.
Vaishali
Hi Anon, she really was the most special pup, and I miss her so very much. I was -- and am--truly lucky.
Mavis
Vaishali, great to have stumbled upon your blog. I haven't tried anything yet but am excited to do so. My husband and I, live in Baltimore but are both from Mumbai and love Indian food - except I am mostly vegan (weekdays and nights) and he is an omnivore. Your recipes are going to come in handy when I try to expand my repertoire beyond the simple dals and beans I usually prepare. Thanks for sharing.
Vaishali
Hi Mavis, how lovely to meet a fellow Indian who is now almost a neighbor. 🙂 I love Baltimore, one of my favorite cities on earth. Thanks for your kind words!
Lauren
Vaishali, I am a new fan. I LOVE your recipes and have made several recently that turned out so well. THANK YOU!! I am traveling to D.C. for work in June. Do you have any suggestions for nice restaurants where I can take people who are not vegan, but where I can eat?
Lauren
Vaishali
Hi Lauren, thanks for your kind words. Where in D.C. will you be located? There are a number of great options for vegans/non-vegans in D.C., with Indian restaurants and Thai restaurants being the best options since they offer a variety of vegan dishes (as opposed to most other restaurants which will have one or two vegan/vegetarian options only.) If you can tell me a preferred location, I might be able to pinpoint something more specific.
Rekha
Hello V,
i have been fllowing lots of blogs because i love cooking, ALthough these days my hubby does not care what i cook. he has certain things he eats and that is that. Perhaps those thing do agree wtih him. i wish though, he tries my creations. well! i am happy he is still with me and that says everything!
I love your vegan food. It is delish and very nutritious I have been away from my native PuNe for about 40 odd years and learned to cook lots of "new ' trendy thing from the blogs. WE are both happy that i have found your blog!
Love you and what you creat!!
Rekha
Vaishali
How lovely you are from Pune. I spent a wonderful year there when I went to journalism school at Ranade Institute. It will always be one of my most favorite cities. 🙂
Rekha
hello Vaishali,
I do not even remember when i started to look at your blog. for a long time i dod not know how to get to the logs. One day i googled 'goda masala" and found the blog named 'bhatukli' and i was hooked ! i also love cooking but only Marathi cooking i learned from my elders.
In 87 my hubby had a heart attack and then my mom passed away. I guess that is when i guess I found my first blog. now there no stoppong.
I have changed my cooking a whole lot. I am not young by any means but my husband's different dietary needs is when i turned to blogs. But here is the first time i have written a comment . I love your blog and i was looking at it and thught it is not nice to folow you and not tell you aboutit. So here it is!
I love your blog and am thinking about turning vegan. BUT a lot depends on my husband.SO let us see!
Vaishali
Dear Rekha, what a lovely message, and thank you so much for your encouraging words. Whether or not you decide to go the vegan way, I hope you will find the recipes here useful. There is tons of evidence that a plant-based diet helps reduce cholesterol and prevent heart disease. But I also understand that it can be hard to convince people to change their diets-- trust me, I run into that with Desi all the time. 🙂 Good luck to you both, and wishing you many years of good health.
Diane Karalunas
I am so thrilled I found you! I was vegetarian for four years, newly vegan as of November of last year. I also was sent down the vegan pass through my beloved animal companions (rabbits), both who passed last year. I LOVE to bake, LOVE to prepare Indian food, and am so excited to get started on some of your wonderful recipes. The vegetable vindaloo is on the menu for this week!
Vaishali
Diane, thank you for the kind words! Hope you enjoy the vindaloo! 🙂
Morgan
For your sourdough starter can I use a large ziploc bag to store in the refrigerator? Thanks so much!!
Vaishali
Morgan, sorry for the late response, but yes, you can.
Gerry
Hi,
I've tried a few of your recipes and they all taste so very good. I lived in India for a few years and love Indian food though can't enjoy it too much as I'm allergic to milk products. And, that is why your recipes are such a joy to me - I can make so many dishes now that I couldn't before. Anyway, keep it up and I made the black eyed peas with sweet potatoes yesterday and it was a HIT.
Best,
Gerry
Vaishali
Thanks for your kind words, Gerry. Glad you liked the recipes. 🙂
Vaishak
HI Vaishali,
You have such a wonderful blog out here, with really great pictures.
What caught my notice at first glance in your site was your name since it looked similar to my name. 🙂
Really hats off to your pics. How do take such photos? Is there a course to learn how to take such beautiful pics?
And last, saw the pic of Lucy. Her skin looked gorgeous and reminds me of skin of mountain bear. I feel she was someone who would ferociously protect its loved ones. Which breed was she?
Thanks again.
Regards
Vaishak
Vaishali
Hi Vaishak, My husband, Desi, gets credit for the photos. He's not trained, although there are a number of food photography courses and books you can google up now. Desi's really good at it. 🙂 Lucy truly had a gorgeous coat. We miss her dearly. 🙂
Margot Hunjan
Hello Vaishali,
My Punjabi husband and I have been vegetarians for more than 40 years and I am getting more and more interested in vegan cuisine. So happy I found your website. And even happier to hear that you are an animal lover. We have 3 wonderful dogs, a sweet cat, and a very old horse.
I will definitely be a regular visitor to your website, as I absolutely love the recipes. Will make the roasted Brussels sprouts today.
Take care!
Margot
nicholed13
Wow, just found your website and am so sad that I've been missing out for so long! Excited to try some new recipes starting with the African Peanut Soup tonight. Thank you for sharing your beautiful plant-based creations, Vaishali.
Vaishali Honawar
Thanks for your kind words! Hope you try the recipes and feel free to ask if you have any questions. 🙂
The Vegan Junction
Wow. Lucy sure was a beaut! And they do stay with you, for always.
Vaishali Honawar
Yes, she certainly was a gorgeous creature!