Stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne in a medium-size bowl.

Beat the milk with the egg yolk, and add it to the dry ingredients, mixing well.

Stir in the beans, cheese, corn, cilantro, red pepper, and green chilies.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff. Gently fold them into the batter,

Heat the 1/2 cup oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. (Test the heat by dropping a bit of batter into the oil; it should immediately sizzle and rise to the top.)

Spoon in about 1/4 cup of batter for each fritter, making three or four at a time. Fry until golden brown on one side, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn and fry until golden brown on the other side, and drain on paper towels. Fry the rest of the batter in batches.

Serve immediately with sour cream and salsa on the side.

Fritters are best served hot and crispy, right out of the pan.

4 or 5 servings (about 15 fritters)

Ginny Callan, Beyond The Moon Cookbook, more vegetarian recipes from the author of Horn of the Moon cookbook Adapted for Mastercook software by Brenda Adams <adamsfmle@sprintmail.com>