Roasted tomatoes

We don't often think of tomatoes as a side dish.  At least I don't.  I use them in sandwiches and salads but when putting together dinner, I don't automatically think of tomatoes for a vegetable.  I am trying to change that because I want to incorporate more veggies in my diet, and tomatoes contain lycopene which is a potent antioxidant.  Studies show that people who eat lots of tomatoes have a lower risk of cancer.  That's enough for me!

With that in mind I recently made roasted tomatoes as a side dish for dinner. The dinner I made was wild salmon smothered with a Dijon mustard and white wine sauce, green beans and the tomatoes.  Lots of veggies on the plate, and of course we all know wild salmon is a superfood we should eat regularly.

These are easy to make and inexpensive.  I used roma tomatoes but any large one would work.

Ingredients:
4 roma tomatoes
Bread crumbs
Garlic, 1 clove minced
Herbs, any combo of oregano, basil, thyme, sage 
Olive oil
Salt

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Slice the tomatoes in half length wise.  Lay on a sheet pan, drizzle with oil and salt.

You can buy bread crumbs or make your own, which is what I do. I read the label on those can's of store bought bread crumbs and shuddered.  Yuck!  Who wants all that added junk in their food? I don't! To make the bread crumbs I lay out one piece of multigrain bread and allow it to dry out a bit.  Then I cut off the crusts, and cut it into cubes.  I put it in a food processor and pulse until very small in size. 

In a small saucepan pour a little oil and heat, then add the bread crumbs and toss to coat. Add the minced garlic and the herbs and cook on med heat tossing to combine well.  Be careful not to allow it to burn.  Turn it off when it just starts to brown. 

With a spoon take the bread crumb mixture and put a spoonful on top of each tomato half.  

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. The tops should just be starting to brown.  Take them out of the oven and drizzle with a little more oil to serve.