Recipes

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a sauté pan on medium high. When the surface shimmers, add the garlic and stir. Add the mushrooms and let cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender. Set aside and keep warm.
3. Spread halved grape tomatoes cut side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place in preheated oven and roast 20 minutes, and then stir. If tomatoes appear dry, drizzle with more olive oil, and toss. Return pan to the oven and roast 20 to 30 more minutes. When done, the tomatoes will have shriveled just a bit and glisten. Set aside and keep warm.
4. Mix milk, ricotta cheese, mashed avocado, salt, pepper, chopped basil, chopped carrots, and orange juice in medium bowl. Set aside.
5. Poach or fry eggs and keep warm. While eggs are cooking toast bread and keep warm.
6. Lay spinach leaves on top of warm toast. Spread a generous amount of the ricotta mixture on top. Top each with 1 poached or sunny-side-up egg.
7. To serve, mix warm tomatoes and mushrooms and divide among plates next to egg-topped toast. Garnish plates with basil leaves.

Recipe notes:

• Florida avocadoes, which are large with a smooth skin, are harvested from late May through March. When purchasing an avocado, look for fruit that is heavy for its size and  slightly firm. A firm avocado will ripen in a paper bag or in a fruit basket at room temperature within a few days.
• Buy shredded carrots to make quick work of prepping this ingredient. Simply chop for uniform finely cut pieces. Also, for a variation that adds additional color and texture: Quick fry a handful of the shredded carrots in bacon drippings or olive oil and add to the tomato and mushroom mixture.
• The tomatoes and mushrooms can be prepared up to a day ahead of time. Gently warm on a baking sheet while toasting bread and cooking the eggs.
• Sunny-side-up eggs are cooked on one side and not flipped like over-easy eggs. Alternately covering the pan and basting the tops with the fat in the pan helps create a runny yolk.

How to make basted sunny-side-up eggs

1. Heat 2-3 tablespoons butter or bacon drippings in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Break eggs and slip into pan, one at a time. Immediately reduce heat to low. Cook until edges turn white, about 1 minute.
3. Using a small spoon, baste eggs with hot butter or bacon drippings in the pan. Cover pan between bastings and continue cooking until whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not hard, 4 to 5 minutes.

How to poach eggs

1. Heat 2 to 3 inches of water in large saucepan or deep skillet to boiling. Adjust heat to keep liquid simmering gently.
2. Break eggs, 1 at a time, into custard cup or saucer. Holding dish close to surface, slip egg into water.
3. Cook eggs until whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not hard, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not stir. Lift eggs from water with slotted spoon. Drain in spoon or on paper towels. Trim any rough edges, if desired. Season with salt and pepper.