9 slices of whole wheat bread (square shape works best)
2 turkey sausage links (remove casing ) or about 6 oz. loose sausage
1 clove garlic, minced
½ c. finely chopped fresh mushroom pieces
1 ½ c. fresh baby spinach
2 oz. of cream cheese
¼ c. salsa (to suit your taste, I used Salsa Verde I made)
1 T. honey mustard
3 eggs
¾ c. non-fat milk
Salt and pepper to taste
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Directions: Using a large circular cookie cutter, or similar, cut as large a circle as you can out of each slice of bread, removing the crusts. Using the palm of your hand lightly press each slice of bread flat, making them thin. Spray a regular muffin tin, 9 cups, with cooking spray. Press each slice of bread into a cup, making 9 little crusts. Do not discard the crusts. Set aside.
Prepare the turkey sausage links by breaking up the meat into very small pieces, or crumble the loose sausage. Saute sausage with the garlic in a medium pan until no longer pink. Reduce heat to medium, add the mushroom and cook about another 2 minutes. Add the spinach, and continue to cook until spinach is soft. Add the cream cheese, and cook for additional two minutes stirring to completely combine and melt cream cheese. Remove from heat and stir in the mustard. Allow this to cool for several minutes.
While cooling, cut the crusts into cubes. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until frothy. Add the cooled sausage mixture in large spoonfuls, stirring after each addition. Season with salt and pepper.
Time to build the strata. Place a few crust cubes in each cup. Spoon the egg sausage mix into each cup, filling the cup. Wait a few minutes for the bread to start absorbing the liquid. Place a tomato slice on each cup. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover the muffin tray with foil. Refrigerate overnight. In the morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Loosen the foil and bake covered for 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until the eggs are firm, about 12 minutes.