Bread, chocolate, and all that jazz

Bread and chocolate. Yum.... I've always loved the combination of bread and chocolate. There is a well-run cafe in Puerto Viejo Costa Rica and it was called Bread and Chocolate, and with a name like that, I had to visit and was happy that I did, even though I ate neither bread nor chocolate there. I had fruit and granola and a fresh papaya shake with water. It's funny, when I'm traveling, I eat very basic and when I'm back at "home", I'm devouring almost everything in sight. And today was no exception. Although I know I am moderately gluten intolerant, the mind got the better of me and I ate with abandon slices of bread topped with the warm chocolate espresso spread I made with Maldon sea salt flakes. What would you have done?

Raw vegan spinach manicotti with herbed tomato sauce

Savory chocolate and sea salt crostini

Raw zucchini slices were filled and rolled with a seed "cheese" made of soaked sunflower and pumpkin seeds, Italian parsley, baby spinach, filtered water, extra-virgin olive oil, and a touch of lemon juice. To make the herbed tomato sauce, fresh Roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil and oregano, fennel, filtered water, extra-virgin olive oil, and lemon juice were thrown in the blender and blended until somewhat chunky, yet smooth. The sage aioli from yesterday's menu made a guest appearance today as the drizzle in the sauce. And lastly, the manicotti was sprinkled with hemp seeds. And as for the savory chocolate crostini, need I say more?