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:
Deb
Hi Vaishali,
I am a long time reader of your blog. My all-time favorite recipe is the "vegan dal makhani" which I make perhaps every two weeks!!
I have a question which is tangentially related. I want to adopt a dog and a cat, but I am morally conflicted about what I should feed them. Since you have had four-footed family members for a while, would you mind sharing what you feed them? I would appreciate any pointers you could provide.
Vaishali
Hi Deb, My dogs are not vegan--I feed them regular dog food. Some vegans might jump at me for saying this, but I've struggled with the idea of transitioning them to a vegan diet because they live to eat, and I can see they love eating animal-based foods far more so than vegetable based ones, which they will rarely touch. It's hard to impose my morality on them, although it is certainly also hard to ignore the fact that animals in dog food go through the same kinds of horrors that animals used for human food go through. When I give my dogs meat, I make sure I buy meat from animals treated humanely.
Research on vegan diets for dogs is mixed--there are lots of sources that say carefully designed vegan diets can work well for dogs while others say they require at least some animal fat and protein. I know a few people whose dogs eat a solely vegan diet and the dogs look fine and happy to me. There are vegan brands of dog food available at pet stores, if you decide to go that way.
Deb
Thank you so much for your reply, Vaishali!! You kind of echoed the thought process I have been through over time. Your words have helped me make a decision, and I will be adding to my family soon.
Thanks once again.
Karin
I found your site because we have lots of new friends who are either Vegetarian or Vegan and I was looking for more diversity in our cooking. SO happy to have found your recipes. Our favorite so far is:
Vegan African Peanut Stew with Eggplant and Okra. The only thing I added was a little acidity by including some lime leaves during the final 10 min of cooking time. I also enjoy being introduced to new spices, i.e. Fenugreek seeds. Wishing you a happy holiday season.
Vaishali
Hi Karin, so happy you enjoyed the peanut stew--one of my favorites too! 🙂 A very happy new year to you.
Sanaya Kondaskar
Hi Vaishali,
Love all your recipes! I eat plant based and do not use oil for cooking and I find your recipes taste great without the added oil. I recently saw a few videos pop up and they look fun but I am not able to find them on the website unless I open a recipe and then it is too distracting. Any chance you could put it up on you website under video? Just a suggestion.
Vaishali
Hi Sanaya, you can always X out of the videos if you don't want them sticking to the bottom of your screen. I think it's a good idea to have a separate tab for the videos but I've only posted 2 so far, so will prob wait a bit before doing that. Thanks!
Barbara
Love your receipes. Hoping that you have or will create a recipe for steamed chocolate pudding.
Vaishali
I love the sound of that. Putting it on my list! Thanks for the suggestion.
Lisa Maxwell
I just made the Olive oil vegan brioche bread and it's amazing I'm using it in a recipe for Thanksgiving to make vegan bread pudding..
Vaishali
Lisa, so happy to hear! 🙂
Angie Rayappan
Hi Vashali,
I googled South Indian Chickpea recipe and came across yours so decided to give it a try and used up my left over fresh aubergine.
The result is pretty good and I enjoyed the dish very much. Thank you for the lovely recipe.
It reminded me of the chickpea curry that my lodger used to cook to eat with his dosas
I am looking forward to trying some of your other recipes.
Vaishali
So happy to hear, Angie. 🙂
Sherry Britton
Hello Vaishali, I just discovered your blog and want to thank you for sharing your world view and wonderful recipes! I made lemon rice and cabbage thoran --how delicious! I too am a long term vegan and had a career in animal behavior science for 33 years. I don't understand how
humans can continue to exploit these beautiful, sentient beings. No creature deserves to be born to this kind of horrifying existence ! Maybe our new president will make headway, given the new pandemic task force. I noticed Cory Booker has taken this on. Anyway, I look forward to exploring your recipes, most likely, we'll be serving lots of cabbage a la Holy ! Regards, Sherry in Meres Point, Maine
Vaishali
Thanks for the kind words, Sherry, and couldn't agree more! It's time we moved away from exploiting animals and our diets are a great way to start. 🙂
Wendy
I just made you vegan lasagna, my first time. I thought it came out really good. Ty
Vaishali
So happy to hear, Wendy!
Paula Visconti
Wow......you are such beautiful, sensitive soul. Thank you for sharing with us. Our son is dating a beautiful, sensitive soul like you, who is also influencing me to more and more avoid animal products.....not only for the cruelty involved, but for health reasons also. God bless you.
Vaishali
Thanks for your kind words, Paula. ❤️❤️
Monali
Hi,
Do you have any recommendations for indian desserts using vegan ricotta cheese?
Thanks
Monali
Vaishali
Hi Monali, You can find all my Indian sweet recipes under "vegan Indian sweets". Add the term to the search bar.
Paddy
Hello Vaishali..
thanks for posting some awesome recipes. My family and I have enjoyed making and eating many of your recipes. One favorite. Is the sundried tomato chutney, which seems to be no longer in the blog. Would you mind sharing it again, please? I apologize if you are seeing this request twice .. posting issues😀
Thank you, Paddy
Vaishali
Hi Paddy, here you go. So happy you've enjoyed the recipes!
Sundried Tomato Chutney
Ingredients
½ cup thick coconut milk
6 sundried tomatoes (I used ones that are packed in olive oil and they are really moist. If you are using dry sundried tomatoes, soak them in a little water for at least half an hour to soften them)
1 large clove of garlic , chopped
2 green chilies (adjust to your taste)
Salt to taste
Instructions
Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend into a smooth paste. Serve with the Brown Rice Uthappam.
agniprava
you are the delight i find in the great worldly ordeal. thank You for the light You provide.
Vaishali
Aww, that is so kind and so motivating. Thank you with all my heart!! ❤️❤️
Jamini
If you could also post the weight of each ingredient. That would be very helpful.
Yolanda Quimby
Hi, I was wondering if I can use Westsoy almond and cashew milk with a powdered probiotic to make the yogurt!? I'm missing my yogurt and need a bit of a habd from an expert!
Love the site!
Thank you
Vaishali
Thanks Yolanda. 🙂 Off the shelt nut milks have lots of additives and they might interfere with the fermentation. I'd recommend making your own cashew milk.
Judy Eastwood
I can't believe I found this site! It's just what I always wanted! I find it very easy to look up recipes, Indian being one of my favorite ways of cooking. Everything looks so good! Glad to meet you, Vaishali!
Vaishali
Thanks, Judy, happy to meet you too!
Jay suman thiruarayanapuram
Hi, Mom this is a nice blog com'in along.
-jayst.
Vaishali
Love you, honey.
Laura
Hi, recently discovered you blog and subscribed. Your recipes look great!
I have a question about fenugreek. i want to expand my pantry to include this spice, but not sure what form is best to have? Ive seen whole seeds, powdered, and other forms for sale. Could you talk a bit about this spice and suggest what is a good form (if you can only buy one type) to have that would be most versatile? Thank you!
Vaishali
Hi Laura, it's best to keep the whole fenugreek seeds on hand, because those are most commonly used in Indian food. The powder will be very bitter and can be used medicinally or cosmetically but it's not so great for cooking. You'll also find dry fenugreek leaves, called kasoori methi, which are used in north Indian dishes like Makhani recipes, and then you have the fresh fenugreek which is sauteed as a side dish. If you could buy two, I'd suggest keeping whole fenugreek and dry fenugreek leaves on hand. Both have a shelf life of years.
Laura
Thank you so much for the advice! I appreciate the quick reply too, you saved me as I had almost bought some powder. Now I will go get some seeds. ❤️
TJ
You can use methi powder in recipes too but in very minor quantity. I use it in oil tempering in similar quantity as asafetida (essentially a pinch). It gives great flavor to daals and vegetables.
Sarah G
I just discovered your website - thank you!! I've been (attempting to be) vegan for a little over a year now. I am absolutely amazed by your dedication and contribution to delicious vegan food. My boyfriend had some friends over for dinner last night and used a couple of your recipes. One was the garlic Naan - soooo yummy! And the other was something that I can't remember the name of, but it had crushed tomatoes, eggplant, onions, and a ton of spices. It was also amazing. I'm bookmarking, pinning, and living on your website from now on. Thank you again - what a gift you're giving!
Vaishali
Thanks for your kind words, Sarah! So happy you've enjoyed the recipes. You're likely talking about the baingan bharta--one of my favorites! 🙂
Allyne
I recently was sent your recipe for cashew yogurt. Since going vegan 4-5 years ago, yogurt is one thing I’ve missed. I love the recipe! It was so easy! And my granddaughters love it, too! I’ll be coming back to your site for more ideas. Thanks!
Jennie
Hi! Trying your sourdough pretzel recipe, but wanted to ask you to clarify when to add the yeast/milk mixture. It says to put in a bowl until blooms, and the next step says ass the REMAINING ingredients. Doesn't sound like that includes the yeast, but I think it should???
Thanks!