Ep. 218: Nisha Vora - How this Corporate Lawyer Traded the Courtroom for the Kitchen

Oct 12, 2023

Former corporate lawyer Nisha Vora traded her legal career for a full-time cooking gig. She discusses her journey from vegetarianism to veganism and her transition from Instagram to her own food blog. Nisha also shares her expertise on the versatility of the Instant Pot and provides tips on starting with simple dishes. She expresses gratitude for her parents' support and teaches listeners how to make restaurant-style hummus and nutritious steel-cut oats. Additionally, she explores the significance of doll in Indian cuisine and shares recipes for Mexican-style pinto beans and a customizable chickpea dish.

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Introduction

00:00 • 5min

Leaving Corporate Law: Finding Fulfillment in a Plant-Based Lifestyle

04:53 • 17min

The Vegan Instant Pot: Time-saving and Convenient Cooking

21:32 • 18min

Parental Support and Homemade Hummus

39:05 • 3min

Steel Cut Oats: A Nutritious and Time-Saving Breakfast Option

41:53 • 5min

The Significance of Doll in Indian Cuisine

46:36 • 2min

Mexican-Style Pinto Beans

48:18 • 15min

Customizable Chickpea, Butternut Squash, and Kale Dish

01:02:55 • 4min

Passion for Teaching Plant-Based Cooking

01:06:50 • 9min

Celebrating Passion and Excitement for Plants and Cooking

01:15:38 • 2min

Nisha Vora was raised in a traditional vegetarian Indian household, went to undergrad at Berkeley, Harvard Law School, and then worked as a corporate lawyer for a few years in New York City.

It didn’t take long for her to realize that this was NOT what she wanted to do because, even as a young girl, Nisha loved food and cooking. She was the girl who would watch cooking shows on TV and take cooking classes for fun. And, as a corporate lawyer, she definitely didn’t have time for cooking and she wasn’t having any fun.

So, in 2016, after binge-watching food documentaries all weekend long, Nisha became fully plant-based and started a food blog side hustle – rainbowplantlfe.com. That “side” hustle has now become a full-time career as she teaches her one million YouTube subscribers how to be better cooks and consume fewer animals.

In 2019, she released her first book, The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook: Wholesome Indulgent Plant-Based Recipes and that’s what we dive into today. People are so intimidated by this wildly popular kitchen tool and she breaks it down, teaches us how to start simple, and then shows us the magic you can create with the Instant Pot.

Rip and Nisha discuss:

Her parent’s reaction when she told them she was leaving her law career to become a food blogger
Transitioning from Instagram to her own food blog
Her personal journey from vegetarianism to veganism
Exploring the versatility of the Instant Pot and why she wanted to write this book
How to start with the basics of Instant Pot cooking
Her unique approach to cooking
A sample of delicious recipes from the book including breakfasts, veggies, soups/curries, and comfort foods

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