Satisfying and yum

Both of these recipes are quite understated but they're thoughtful, healthful and left me feeling satisfied. As y'all might know, I'm rather an imbecile when it comes to non-dessert cakes. Thusly, these quinoa cakes just didn't cake for me, and I ended up making a tortilla of sorts and just lightly frying the whole bit in a nonstick skillet with a touch of oil. No need for stress! The successful-looking patty in this picture was an aberration. Cake or a shape more abstract, the flavors here were lovely with faint hints of Gruyere and chives tickling your palate with each bite.  Yotam's lentil dish was slightly more bold what with its quick-pickled red onions and gorgonzola crumbles, but the relative lack of dressing and the lentils themselves kept things on the subtle end of the spectrum, and I added a splash more salt here, red wine vinegar there. My remaining oven-roasted tomatoes paired perfectly.

For me, tonight, these ingredients and flavors hit the spot, and I would recommend both for a quiet evening such as this. A perfect finale will be a cup of tea, a pistachio biscotto, and the State of the Union. Let's all give a shout-out to the Repubs not picking a complete screaming jack-arse to give the rebuttal. Mitch Daniels, don't disappoint me.