Mung Bean Momelet Mix (JUST Egg Copycat!)

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Hey babes,

By now you’ve probably ascertained that your humble narrator is a mom. If not, surprise! Believe me when I say that, as a mom and a vegan, I get that sometimes those two roles can clash. Rest assured that both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine have come out with statements advocating for the health benefits and safety of a well-planned vegan diet for children. Which is all good and fine, until your burgeoning little vegan refuses to eat more than a pittance of most vegetables, or arbitrarily decides beans are icky, or some other such childhood whimsy. Don’t worry, hypothetical plant-powered parent, millions of children around the country refuse to finish their Brussel sprouts, and none of them have withered away from a protein deficiency.

The child that sparked this dialogue is actually not picky, thank goodness. She is my cooking buddy and avid taste-tester, regularly coming into the kitchen to snatch raw fruits and vegetables from cutting boards, sample freshly roasted seeds and nuts, and make suggestions on flavor combinations. She’s also high-spirited and opinionated, and before the plant-based awakening in our house, LOVED her traditional weekend breakfast. Scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheese, all over roasted potatoes.

Yeah….

Now, that isn’t a mark against her. She’s been delighted by oatmeal and smoothies, diced potatoes and vegan sausages, biscuits and cashew gravy, fruit bowls and homemade granola bars. But from time to time she still asks after that mythical breakfast of days-gone-by, and while I hate to disappoint her, I cannot justify feeding those ingredients to her now.

Not So EGG-Cellent

First, let’s just rip this band-aid off right now. The egg industry is a world replete with unimaginable suffering and cruelty for the animals raised and killed within it, as well as horrific treatment, pay, and working conditions for the human laborers, not to mention the contribution that industrial-scale farming has on the creation of pandemic viruses.

Health-wise the story only gets more grim, if you can believe it. A single egg contains over 70% of the recommended daily allowance of cholesterol, and is 60% fat in terms of macronutrients, both of which help to explain why research has shown people who eat more eggs to have a 19% greater risk of cardiovascular disease compared to their peers. In fact, the Harvard Nurse’s Health Study found that “the daily consumption of the amount of cholesterol found in just a single egg appeared to cut a woman’s life short as much as smoking 25,000 cigarettes—five cigarettes a day, for fifteen years.”

The choline content of eggs has also been shown to spike the levels of TMAO produced by the gut microbiome, which has been linked to both heart disease and cancer. And of course, the saturated fat in eggs contributes to the dose-positive risk relation of egg consumption and insulin resistant diabetes, according to one meta-analysis.

A New Dawn, a New Day, A New Option

In light of all of those reasons, what is one supposed to do? Say adieu to breakfast scrambles, omelets, frittatas, quiches, hard-boiled, toads in various holes, huevos rancheros, shakshukas and more? Well, for this recovered cholesterol-consumer, I say tofu scrambles are a rock solid idea, particularly if you use black salt, and there are delicious tofu, potato, and chickpea varieties for lots of those. We’ll get there. Promise.

But those sound hard, babe! Can’t I JUST buy JUST Egg??

I mean, sure, absolutely. This babe loves a vegan company promoting tasty things. I JUST (see what I’m doing here?) have a couple of minor complaints about their otherwise incredible product.

Right out of the gate, it’s kind of pricey when you consider the cost per serving. At my local big-box, it is currently running at $3.94 pre-sales tax. At 8 servings, that’s roughly $0.50 per serving. While that isn’t exorbitant, it is about double the cost per serving of my favorite tofu.

In terms of macronutrients, there is also 5g of fat per serving, which come from the canola oil that acts as the third ingredient. While it is MILES better than the fat in eggs, it is still something I try to avoid.

Still, I think the company is great and should absolutely be supported, but if you want to put in a little extra work and save a little money (and fat content) in the process, let’s take a little journey with the main ingredient of this lovely pretender…

A-Mung Us is an Imposter!

Before I went down this rabbit hole, I’m embarrassed to admit I was completely sleeping on mung beans, along with a pretty large portion of the US. But mung beans have been part of a variety of Asian cuisines for centuries, and for good reason.

Mung beans come packed with equal parts protein and fiber, as well as mega-doses of folate, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, copper, potassium, zinc, selenium, and B1-6. The protein is also comprised of a rich variety of essential amino acids, making it one of the best plant-based protein sources if you’re looking for a well-rounded option that still maximizes other micronutrients.

The antioxidants in mung beans also come with a laundry-list of reputed benefits, including preventing heat stroke, fighting dermatological diseases, reducing plasma lipid levels, boosting immune expression, reducing inflammation, and others. The combination of fiber and resistant starches also help to feed the gut microbiome and regulate digestion.

I know in my previous post discussing beans, I specifically mentioned split mung beans as an exception to my soaking rule. Well, this is the exception to the exception. You want to soak them overnight or for at least 6-8 hours, and drain the liquid afterwards. Oh, and don’t be alarmed, but the liquid becomes rather…vibrant.

Pretty, huh?

Once they have soaked for sufficient time, just throw them in a blender with the other ingredients. With all the soaking expansion and liquids, this makes about two cups, or eight servings. Oh my, what a coincidence, the same number of servings as my friendly store-bought competitor, all for the low, low price of roughly…$0.93 for the whole jar. But what about the macronutrients, you ask. Take a gander at my lovely Chronometer comparison:

So there you have it. This lovely tribute recipe comes in at 1/4 the cost with 1/25 the fat content. Not too bad for a copycat. Give her a whirl, and try it out for omelets, inside a fluffy biscuit, or in your next scramble. Or if you want to eat it even quicker, try microwaving in a mug with your favorite vegetables. Let me know how you like to use it!