Tokie,
I have eggbeaters on my cx bike. Super easy in and out and shed mud/ice/slop like a charm. Not sure what the degree of float is but definitely more than my road pedals... I actually prefer less float, but they do the job I want them to do .

I have Sidi Blaze shoes for my eggbeater bike. They're the cheapest Sidi mountain shoes (or were when I bought them). Very comfortable, reasonably stiff but I"m sure less stiff than your Specialized carbon road shoes (less stiff than my Sidi road shoes too).