Meet Mary, chef and owner of Mary’s Secret Garden, an organic vegan restaurant in Ventura, the only one of its kind in Ventura County. I have been to quite a few vegan restaurants all around the west coast and in my opinion, her restaurant is one the best. She is a genius in the kitchen. A few weeks ago, I went to a vegan meet up dinner at her restaurant, where she made us a special multi-course dinner and did a quick raw desert demonstration. It was awesome! The demonstration was for her Omega Macaroons, a raw hemp-coconut macaroon. I have included the recipe below. It is quick and easy and does not require any special equipment!
The dinner she made us was so amazing! We started out with a raw vegan Caesar salad with a super creamy delicious dressing. It was accompanied by raw crackers topped with tomato, her famous raw cashew cheese, and some basil pesto. So YUM!
The next thing she served was this seitan taco. Sorry about the picture, I had already started eating it before I remembered I needed to take a picture! This taco was stuffed with tons of delicious, perfectly seasoned seitan, chipotle cashew cheese, pico de gallo, avocado, and vegan sour cream.
Next, we had some vegan tzatziki sauce made with homemade flat bread. This was probably my least favorite part of the meal, although still very good! I am just not a big fan of tzatziki sauce!
The main course was a plate of perfectly roasted and caramelized cauliflower, with white rice and beluga lentils. This dish was so good, the rice had a great flavor, the cauliflower just melted in your mouth, and the lentils were perfectly cooked and seasoned. We also had some chickpea curry that was so yummy! It reminded me of Chana Masala, although I do not think that is what it was. All this food left me satisfied and super stuffed. But of course I could not pass up dessert!
Again, sorry for the pictures! It was getting rather dark by the time desert was served. Dessert was vegan baklava with a raw pistachio ice cream and saffron crema. I was not a big fan of the ice cream but the baklava was so good! We also got to try an omega macaroon and OH MY GOD! I cannot wait to make these at home. SO FREAKING GOOD!
All in all a great meal, I HEART Mary’s!
Here is the recipe for the raw macaroons, enjoy!
Omega Macaroons
Courtesy of Chef Mary of Mary’s Secret Garden
½ cup Nutiva Raw Coconut Oil
½ cup Nutiva Coconut Manna Butter
2 Tablespoons Nutiva Hemp Oil
1 cup Organic Raw Agave Nectar
½ teaspoon Fresh Vanilla Bean Powder
½ cup Organic Raw Cocoa Powder
3 ½ cups Organic Medium Shredded Coconut Flakes (Unsweetened)
½ cup Nutiva Hemp Seeds
Whole Organic Almonds and Hemp Seeds for Garnish (optional)
1. Add the first six ingredients to a food processor and blend well until incorporated, scraping down the sides so everything gets mixed well. If you do not have a food processor you can melt the coconut oil a bit in the microwave or by placing the jar in warm water, and mix all ingredients by hand.
2. Pour mixture into a small mixing bowl and fold in shredded coconut and hemp seeds until well incorporated.
3. Using a small ice scream/cookie dough scooper, or just a spoon if you don’t have a scooper, scoop dough onto a chilled cookie sheet.
4. Press a whole almond on the top of each macaroon and sprinkle with hemp seeds if you desire.
5. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour before serving to allow the macaroons to firm up.
6. Enjoy!
Makes 24 Macaroons
