Roasted Vegetables and Rice .

Sister Edie inspires me to eat better. I need her to perch on my shoulder before every meal instead of sending an occasional recipe by e-mail! I might like to throw in some green beans when roasting the vegetables, or saute some snow peas or sugar snap peas and add them when stirring the rice and vegetables together.

Prep time 20 minutes, roasting time 40 minutes. NOTE: the veggies cook down a little. When they are sliced/diced you might think you are feeding an army! This makes 6 servings

1 pound zucchini, diced
1 pound yellow squash, diced
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 (8.5-oz.) packages ready-to-serve brown and wild rice mix (Uncle Ben's)
1/2 cup chopped roasted salted almonds

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss together first 7 ingredients until vegetables are well coated. Place vegetables in a single layer in a jelly-roll pan.
2. Bake at 450°F for 20 minutes. Stir vegetables, and bake 20 more minutes or until slightly crisp and golden.
3. Prepare rice according to package directions. Stir together rice, almonds, and hot vegetables.

To make ahead: Prepare vegetables as directed through Step 2. Let cool completely. Transfer to airtight containers or heavy-duty zip-top plastic freezer bags, and freeze up to one month. Thaw in refrigerator 8 to 24 hours. Reheat in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 5 to 6 minutes or until thoroughly heated and any extra liquid is reduced. Proceed with recipe as directed, or use vegetables as desired.