Tomatoes for Breakfast and Lunch

I love tomatoes. But as it gets colder, the fresh tomatoes at the store are not the deep red, flavorful tomatoes of summer. Today, I wanted to make an omelet for breakfast and a salad for lunch, and added tomato flavor to both -- in the form of tomato sauce. I used a small can of no-salt-added tomato sauce and a few other ingredients to make a regular omelet and salad that much better.

Omelet Italiano

Beat eggs with a little milk. Add dash of salt and some crushed red pepper, dried thyme and oregano. Cook omelet in a greased skillet. When ready to fold over, spread a couple spoonfuls of ricotta cheese and tomato sauce on one side,  fold omelet over and let cheese warm for a short time (careful, if it gets too hot it will start spitting tomato-cheese at you).

Tomato Salad Dressing

In a small dish, mix a couple spoonfuls of tomato sauce with a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Add dried basil, parsley, garlic pepper and lemon juice. Toss with your favorite salad ingredients.