The egg: versatile, protein-rich, great at any meal, for a snack, and don’t even get me started on its power as a leavener, binder, and emulsifier. You'd think I’d be a two-egg-a-day woman, but the truth is I haven’t had the pleasure of cracking one in a decade. I’ve been a vegan since 2009, and I miss eggs more than anything. I’ve always been a savory- over-sweet breakfast person, but, without eggs, what’s left? I’m plenty familiar with tofu scrambles and chickpea flour omelets, decent visual doppelgängers that don’t really approximate the real thing. And don’t talk to me about savory oats.

Then, a few months ago, my favorite deli began churning out these amazing vegan breakfast sandwiches with something called a JUST egg. I had to know the deal, so I ordered some JUST for myself.

My "egg" arrived in a 12-ounce bottle, frozen and nestled in dry ice. Thankfully it was 100-percent gimmick-free: no carton or artificial shell. The color was the appropriate yellow. I pulled up a suggested recipe and started with a Sunday morning mini scramble. My pan was hot, greased, and ready. I put in a quarter cup and instantly it adhered to the pan just like an egg! The yellow liquid bubbled, changed color, and even stuck to the sides where I hadn’t oiled. I finished my eggs with a sprinkling of sulfur-y Kala Namak salt. How did it taste? Have you ever eaten an egg? I had to check the label twice to make sure what was on my plate didn’t come from a chicken.

Vegans, rejoice: You too can make a soy-ginger dinner scramble.

Nope, the ingredients are all plant and 98-percent of them are water, mung beans, and canola oil. The real revelation here is that mung bean protein, when isolated from the rest of the bean, tastes and scrambles just like an egg. Welcome to 2019, a time when a vegan frittata is totally possible.

Okay, so JUST eggs could compete against any omelet or scramble but what about in secondary uses like French Toast or in a nice egg wash over a (vegan) turnover? Done and done. Perfectly bouncy, crispy, toasts emerged from the pan, and the turnovers I whipped up were golden brown. Another little bonus about this egg is that, nutritionally, it's pretty close to the original chicken version.

JUST has yet to conquer a few of eggs’ greatest gifts. It isn’t advisable to go baking cakes, fussing with creme brûlées, or stirring it into salad dressings. But I have faith that day will soon come. In the meantime, I can look forward to working on my French omelet technique and resurrecting breakfast for dinner, which ten-year-old me was super-into. Scrambled JUST eggs, a side of (mushroom) bacon and (coconut) buttered toast. Don’t @ me; it’s delicious.

Buy JUST Egg in select stores and online at Jet.com, $9.

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