2 tablespoons butter
1 (6.8-oz.) pkg. beef-flavor rice and vermicelli mix
3 cups water
1/3 cup purchased Asian sesame marinade and salad dressing
1 (16-oz.) pkg. frozen cooked meatballs, thawed
1 cup julienne-cut (2x1/8x1/8-inch) carrots
1/2 cup halved fresh snow pea pods
3 tablespoons dry-roasted peanuts, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped green onions

1.) Melt butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir in rice and vermicelli from mix; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until rice is lightly browned.

2.) Add water, Asian marinade and contents of seasoning packet from mix; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add meatballs and carrots; cover and cook 15 to 18 minutes or until rice is tender, stirring occasionally.

3.) Stir in pea pods. Cook, uncovered an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until pea pods are crisp-tender. Garnish individual servings with peanuts and onions.

To reduce sodium, use unsalted roasted peanuts. Each serving with unsalted roasted peanuts contains about 37 fewer milligrams of sodium per serving.

Our Easy Meatball recipe would be a delicious variation.

Cut the pea pods in half at an angle to provide a more interesting shape.

Finish this Asian-inspired rice meal with litchi nuts and green tea ice cream. The rough, bright-red shell of fresh litchis surrounds creamy white flesh that is juicy and delicately sweet. Dried, litchis resemble a nut, so they are often called litchi nuts. Look for them fresh or dried in the produce area of the grocery store or canned in the Oriental area of the grocery store.