Easy Vegan Crepes

Crêpes. Probably the most versatile (and delicious) breakfast foods ever. They can be sweet or savory or whatever you want. This morning I topped mine with warm blueberries and tahini and it was just glorious. So have fun with this recipe and get creative!

Vanilla Maple Almond Butter

I have always been a peanut butter girl. I didn't really like the taste of almond butter until I made it myself! It's extremely easy, satisfying, and yummy!

Peanut Butter Pound Cake

I love baking breads. And I love peanut butter even more. So why not combine the two?

Pie Lovers' Oatmeal

So I'm not sure whether to put this down as a dessert or a breakfast recipe! 

At holiday meals, whenever the pies come out, I never know which kind of pie to eat, pumpkin or apple. (I usually end up having a slice of both). But with this oatmeal recipe, you don't have to choose!

No-bake "Shortbread" Cookies

You know those tins filled to the brim with those amazing, buttery shortbread cookies that come out this time of year? Yeah. I miss those.

Gluten-free Vegan Pecan Sandies

If you've never had Sandies before, you are seriously missing out. They were one of my favorite recipes to make as a little kid - simple, easy, and delicious. 

Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes

It wouldn't be fall cooking unless there was pumpkin involved! We have plenty of pumpkin on hand (we bought a dozen giant cans) so I put myself to work making a delicious pancake recipe. This makes a rather large batch, so you can always halve the recipe (or just eat them all)!

Vegan Quinoa Sushi

The only dish I ever hesitated giving up when I decided to go vegan was sushi. I was one of those weird people who love the taste of raw fish. And I live for those sushi lunch specials.

I decided to make a vegan sushi roll myself and was really interested in how quinoa would taste since it is so much more nutritionally dense than rice. Thus this recipe was born!

Perfect Chocolate Smoothie

I have been an avid green smoothie drinker since I was a little sophomore in high school, and since then, I've learned some things along the way.

Gluten-free Vegan Cookie Dough Bars

I'm gonna tell you right now. This is the best recipe I've ever made. These bars, inspired by Oh She Glows, actually taste exactly like the Toll House cookie dough that you buy in tubs. Except unlike their unhealthy counterpart, these bars are gluten-free, vegan, free of refined sugars, and under 200 calories! Perfect for a snack before ballet class.

Gluten-free Vegan Pumpkin Bread

It's that time of year. Pumpkin spice EVERYTHING. I've been putting pumpkin purée in practically everything I eat, from oatmeal to smoothies to brownies. We're going through a can a day (not really, but almost).

Every time my dad's family gets together, my Gramma would make this amazing pumpkin bread. She would make huge batches, and it would still be the first thing to disappear at thanksgiving dinner. When she couldn't make it any more, the task fell upon me and my sister to make it every year.

Basic Overnight Oatmeal

This is probably the recipe that most people ask me to share with them. There are so many different variations on it that I could easily have it every single morning. The chia seeds and the extra liquid make it really thick and add a nutritional boost as well with the extra protein and fiber. It's so nice waking up and already having a delicious bowl of oatmeal waiting for you in the fridge, and it can be served either chilled or heated back up in the microwave. (Make sure you are using a large bowl - the chia adds lots of extra volume and you don't want it to overflow!)

Gluten-free Vegan Apple Pie

A few days ago we stopped by the apple orchard (a fall tradition) and I found myself gazing longingly at the boxes and boxes of apple pies at the register. So we found some Cortland apples, which are perfect for pies, and I attempted to make a gluten free vegan apple pie that would taste as authentic as possible. Normally the crust is filled with butter and the filling is held together with white and brown sugar. With all the substitutions I made, it still tasted authentic enough to fool my father, who said the crust tasted just like shortbread! The four of us polished off the entire pie in minutes.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog, The Baking Ballerina! This is a place for me to keep track of all my favorite recipes, and also a place to share my favorite dishes.

Let me introduce myself - My name is Sasha, and I live in the Boston area. I've been dancing since I was 3 years old and I am a pre-professional ballet student. I've loved baking and cooking since I was little - I was always in the kitchen making a batch of cookies or some other tasty treat for my family. As a dancer, however, I've become accustomed to making adjustments to not-so-healthy recipes. When you're an athlete, it's important to adequately nourish your body, which includes cutting out the unhealthy fats and refined sugars that is found in so many recipes.

I am also a gluten free vegan. Due to constant health problems last year, my doctor recommended that I avoid gluten and dairy products completely, and I have never gone back - I feel more energized and happy, and rarely get sick any more. Later this year, I did some of my own research on the benefits of a plant-based diet from a health perspective and an environmental perspective, and decided to go fully vegan.

I'm just going to come out and say it. Eating gluten-free is really hard. And eating vegan on top of it is even harder. So my goal is to post easy-to-follow recipes that are good for your body but won't leave you feeling deprived.

Please enjoy and stay tuned for recipes!