Black Quinoa with Vegetables and Feta

My friend Julie sent me this recipe the other day, and it was pretty intriguing so I had to try it. Both the black quinoa and the strange array of spices really piqued my interest. I would have made this sooner but I knew I would have to venture into Whole Foods to find the black quinoa. And that I did. A bag of black quinoa (about 2 cups, I think) was $7.99!! Outrageous. Maybe worth it about once a year. I need to read up on the health benefits of it and see if it's actually better for you than regular quinoa...

Anyway, this was a fun and easy to make recipe. I never cook with leeks, and I'm pretty sure I chopped them incorrectly, but oh well - tastes the same. I found a video on youtube that shows you how to chop leeks - if you're as unfamiliar as I am and would like to try this recipe, just type "chopping leeks" into a Google search.

Quinoa Ingredients:
1 cup black quinoa (uncooked)
2 cups vegetable stock
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. coriander
1/8 tsp. cumin
pinch cloves
pinch allspice

Quinoa Directions:
Place all items in 1 quart sauce pan, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook 20 minutes.
Let sit covered 10 minutes.

Vegetables & Feta Ingredients:
2 tsp. pure olive oil
1 ½ cup garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed well (1 small can of garbanzo beans works)
½ cup asparagus, cut ¾ inches
½ cup leeks, sliced ¼ inch
½ cup roasted red bell peppers
½ cup roasted yellow bell peppers, diced ½ inch
(* I found a jar of yellow and red roasted peppers at Trader Joe's, which worked perfectly)
½ cup vegetable stock
3 Tbsp. crumbled feta cheese

Vegetables & Feta Directions:
Heat olive oil to the smoke point.
Add garbanzo beans, asparagus and leeks, saute until asparagus softens. (about 5 minutes)
Add red and yellow bell peppers with vegetable stock and heat well. (about 5 minutes)
Add feta cheese, toss and serve over hot quinoa.

(* Note: in my experience, it's very hard to buy a small amount of leeks or asparagus. After making this once, it definitely wouldn't have hurt to add some more vegetables. So, feel free to add at least a cup or so of each!)