Hello! I'm Vaishali, the author and recipe creator at Holy Cow Vegan, where I share tasty Indian and global vegan recipes. 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.
Many of these 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 cuisine."
- 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. I've been posting global and Indian vegan recipes here for more than 17 years now.
- My favorite foods are savory. And they usually have potatoes in them. French fries and samosas are especially unsafe around me.
- The foods I cook are healthy, easy and delicious and always free of animal products. Most of the recipes on this blog are 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.
That changed when Desi and I adopted our great old dog Lucy (scroll down for her picture). Loving her -- and my second adoptee, 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, many Indian. 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 recipes. We love to travel, so I often post recipes from around the world, including Mexican, Italian, Irish, African and Mediterranean. 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
Desi and I have rescued nearly a dozen dogs and cats since 2002. Each of our fur kids has filled our life with beautiful memories that we hold close to our hearts. Here is our current group of four troublemakers:
Leo was rescued from a dog meat farm in Korea by Humane Society International. He flew halfway around the world to find a home with us. Lily was a street dog rescued from Puerto Rico by the Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation. Billy, our adorable tuxedo cat, was found roaming the streets of Virginia and he came to us courtesy PETA. Kala Jamoon, our resident black cat, simply wandered off the streets to settle into our hearts and home.
Frequently asked questions
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 India's 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:
Bal Gill
Hi Vaishali, just to say I love reading your blog and thabk you so much for sharing your dhal makahni advice as I was finding it difficult to find a substitute product for dairy. I am based in Oxford, UK and became vegan recently and have just set up a start up delivering freshly prepared vegan punjabi food. Thanks again for sharing your great knowledge and experience.
Vaishali
Hi Bal, thanks for the kind words! 🙂
Annette
I love your site ~ the best vegan recipes ever. ??
I was reading about one of your favourite pups who had a heart issue and I can’t seem to find the posting
will you please let me know which page it is on....would love to finish the story` such a beautiful and angelic face.
I appreciate you love of animals and would love to see more about your furry family members ~ most vegans have a huge love for animals .... I’m sure it would be appreciated by all of your readers.
Thank you so much for the most inspiring delicious receipts.
Vaishali
Hi Annette, you're prob referring to my blog on Freddie--he was the biggest sweetheart. I did post quite a bit on my dogs and cats in the early years of this blog, but of late people appear to care more for recipes and not so much for those stories, so I've scaled back. I'm happy to hear you've enjoyed reading them.
Vibha Srinivas
Hi Vaishali,
I started my first sour dough starter yesterday and can't wait to finally bake some bread.
I have a couple of questions. When we remove the discard, is it OK to keep adding it to the same container as the previous days or do we need to keep separate containers for each day?
If it's all kept in one container and I have a recipe that calls for say 1 cup of discard, can I just take it from that even though the discard is removed from different days?
If I want to add some discard to say Roti or Paratha atta, do I just take a small amount to mix in the wheat flour? Is there any proportion of flour to discard that I need to be aware of?
Thanks in advance.
Vaishali
Hi Vibha, yes, you can add the discard to one container and then take it out of that container when you need it. I wouldn't add more than 1/2 cup to about 2 cups of flour.
Joanne moseley
This looks delish!
Lee J Ellman
Can you talk aout settin up an Indian spice box? Like your yin-ynag box on the spice mixes page.
I've always wondered how they were set up - by type of dish? season? region?
I notice that there are several spices that I would use together to make dal or to make a type of curry. taking them out of my pantry is time consuming. ARe indian kitchens/pantries set up differently to take into account the wide variety of spices used regularly in each dish?
I thought myself pretty hip makiing dal with tumeric topped with frizzled onion, crushed tomato and yogurt. Then I was convinced to go vegan by my doctor and I stepped up my game. The variety of spices into the dal and the curries exploded to my pleasure of my family. Thus my curiousity in organizing things more appropriately.
Jenni Fielding
Hi Vaishali. I can't find a way to email you, sorry! Hi Ania. I have a vegan blog and am writing a post about vegan brioche. I want to link out to some recipes. Would it be okay if I use one of your photos and include a link to your recipe? Thanks! Jenni
Vaishali
Sorry for the late reply, but yes, that would have been fine.
Erin
Hi Vaishali! I have a question for you. Do you have or are you planning on having a cookbook? Your recipes are the ones I look forward to most in my email and I have made so many delicious ones. Would love to have a book with just your recipes. Thanks!
Vaishali
Hi Erin, thanks for the thought. I juggle a day job with a family and this blog, so it's not been on my list of priorities. For now, the blog will have to serve as a record of my recipes. 🙂
Yvonne
I made the Toscano bread but I went wrong somewhere. I could not get the final rise to do so with a smooth top. It came out pitted and pock marked, baked up very dense inside with a very hard crust. I left it alone overnight but it did get bumped about an hour in. Where do you think I went wrong? I bake often but somehow went off course. Any suggestions, tips or comments would be very appreciated.
p.s. It tastes good and is perfect for a low sodium diet.
Vaishali
Hi Yvonne, it may have overproofed, especially if you are in a warm climate. Try reducing the rise time next time.
Varsha
Hi Vishali,
Glad to come across your blog ! I am a vegetarian and love your recipes . You have recipes from all cuisines and hat how we cook at home as well..
So your website is perfect for me .
Varsha
Vaishali
Thanks, Varsha. 🙂
Laura
Hello Vaishali,
I was given your recipe for sour dough sandwich bread through the grape vine. I love it!! It is amazing. I've been baking bread for 10 year now and struggled to find a great sandwich loaf. I'm so happy to finally say I have found it. Thank you for sharing you knowledge. I wanted to ask if I can share a link to your site on my blog (thehonesthomemaker.com) ? I would love to let people know what great success I have had and who to give credit to. Thank you!
Laura
Vaishali
Hi Laura, yes, that's fine, and so happy you've loved the recipe for sandwich bread--it's my favorite too.
Bobbi
I added the flour and water day 5-6 without removing 1/2 cup starter first. I went ahead and fed it anyway and plan to feed again at the usual time. Is that ok?
Mary N
Just made your vegan Blueberry Sourdough pancakes, and they were FANTASTIC!!!
I didn’t have blueberries, so I substituted sliced bananas and roughly chopped toasted almonds, and added about 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and an extra 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. Then I topped it with sliced fresh strawberries and a little maple syrup. IT WAS SO DELICIOUS and the pancakes were so puffy & airy, my husband of 33 years said they were the best pancakes he’s ever eaten! Thank you!!
Anna
I am in the process of switching to a plant-based diet due to an underactive thyroid, and I've been feeling a bit stuck thanks to the prolific use of soy products in veggie/vegan recipes. I can't begin to tell you how excited I was to stumble upon your blog; your recipes look amazing and are helping me feel excited for this change rather than overwhelmed!
Jb
Oh boy! Where to start? So many tasty-looking recipes to choose from!!!
Thank you for sharing! I’ve been looking for a vegan blog and recipes that are more family meal oriented. (So many vegan blogs seem to be all about smoothies...hahaha).
Mike
Amazed, Inspired, Grateful....That's how your generosity in sharing your food recipes makes me and others feel. I'm a keen follower of your postings...
Katherine M Moore-Testa
I have been making the Sourdough starter. What I don't understand is how can there be more than a cup when it is done? I see that some of the recipes call for 1 1/2 cups to 2 cups of starter. How do I get it to that point when I swap the discard equally for flour?
Cathy
What works for me:
Once your starter gets well established, don't discard any for one or two feedings. If you bake with it often, you can adjust the ratio to always have extra left over. Then, you can adjust to have less if you just bake every once in a while and leave your starter in the fridge feeding once a week or so.