Baked Eggs with Tomatoes, Feta Cheese, Spinach, and Mushrooms (and Avocado Toast!)

It's cold here in Dallas these days, and has been for some time. It's so cold, in fact, that my car has trouble starting more days than not; at least lately. Hopefully that doesn't mean it's time for a new one (ain't nobody got time for that!) Anyway, this baked egg breakfast seemed like the perfect way to warm up on a cozy Saturday morning. I'm sure you'll agree!

The original recipe I found used only tomatoes and feta cheese, but you know I can't leave well enough alone, so I added some wilted spinach and sauteed Crimini mushrooms to the mix!

Let me give you my takeaways from today's recipe: use wide ramekins! Mine are deep, but they aren't very wide, so while the eggs cooked quickly on the outside, the middles took much longer to cook, resulting in eggs that were harder than I like. Also, because the cook time took longer than anticipated, the vegetables began to release water underneath!

Overall, the flavor was good, but the execution should have been better, and I think that wider ramekins would have helped--OR I should have done just one egg in a smaller ramekin. (How's that for a Chopped judge critique? Ha.)

However, this recipe gets an A+ for ease of preparation and healthy, hearty ingredients! High in vitamins A and B, as well as calcium, this protein-rich meal will satisfy you! I served mine with avocado toasts (I bought a beautiful loaf of French bread; this seemed like an appropriate way to use it!) For the toast--just slice some bread and toast it; top with mashed avocado. So complicated, I know ;)

Ingredients:

• Half of a large tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled
• 4 eggs
• 1 handful baby spinach, wilted
• 1/3 cup Crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, chopped and lightly sauteed in olive oil
• Salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings to taste
• Olive Oil cooking spray
• Fresh parsley for garnish

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 and spray ramekins with cooking spray; set aside. Layer chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, and crumbled feta in ramekins; season with Italian seasonings.

Crack 2 eggs into each ramekin and top with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Bake in preheated oven until egg whites are set, about 15 minutes (bake for longer if egg whites are still runny, but watch it carefully so you don't overcook your egg yolks like I did.) Garnish with freshly chopped parsley.

Nutrition Facts-- Servings: 2 • Size: 1 ramekin • Calories: 238 • Fat: 16.9 g • Carbs: 4.5 g • Fiber: .9 g  • Protein: 17.6 g • Sugars: 3.4 g