When I saw the email sitting in my inbox from the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, I squealed with delight, as I was selected as one of five bloggers/food writers to participate in testing gluten-free recipes that highlight Frito-Lay’s gluten-free products.

Which recipe do I get to test – Chipotle Frito Meringues of course (so Texas)! And to top it off Frito Lay & The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness are holding a Gluten-Free Giveaway (see more details below on how to enter)!

See you might not understand my squeal of delight; I loved Frito’s so much as a kid I used to stuff my cheeks with them as I loved corn chips so so much (are you getting the visual – I basically looked like a chipmunk)! And now as an adult with Celiac Disease, to be involved in helping to promote gluten-free awareness in a product I’ve loved since childhood = Winning!

So here’s the skinny – Five bloggers/food writers will be testing the following recipes and will be writing about their experience testing the recipes, which are as follows:

Chocolate and Potato Chip Cookies
Recipe tester: Cheryl McEvoy of Gluten-Free Hot Products – July 9, 2012

Baked Stuffed Tomatoes
Recipe tester: Erin Smith of Gluten-Free Fun – July 11, 2012

Tostitos Crust Party Quiches
Recipe tester: Laura Hanley of G-Free Laura – July 13, 2012

Chipotle Frito Meringues
Recipe tester: Rachelle King of Blinded by the Bite! – July 16, 2012

Frito Waffles with Mascarpone & Warm Strawberry Compote
Recipe tester: Jenny Manseau of Creative Cooking Gluten-Free – July 18, 2012

So it’s my turn to test the gluten-free Chipolte Frito Meringues.  My first attempt earlier this week at the meringue recipe didn’t turn out so well.  When I was folding the Frito/Chipolte mixture into the egg whites, it seemed light at first, like there wasn’t enough Frito/Chipolte mixture, so I added an extra 1/2 teaspoon which resulted in a very dense meringue.  The flavor however was quite tasty!

So back to the test kitchen I went!  I adjusted the recipe, as I wanted to yield a larger meringue, as well as a lighter meringue – Recipe adjustment is as follows:

• Four (4) egg whites
• Three (3) tablespoons of Frito Scoop’s Chips
• One (1) teaspoon of Chipolte Seasoning

*Note:  I added in the Chipolte Seasoning into the food processor at the same time I put the chips in vs. grinding up the chips first and then adding in the seasoning.  Due to the oils in the chips adding in the seasoning at the same time seem to intensify Chipolte flavor.  Additionally instead of spooning onto a baking sheet as indicated in original recipe, I used a pastry bag (If you don’t have a pastry bag you can use a Ziplock bag, cutting off the tip and use in the same manner as a pastry bag).

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Making this change resulted in a much lighter and airier meringue! Now what to top these delicious Chipolte Meringues with??  Being that the meringue was seasoned with Chipolte seasoning and that it’s summer I wanted to keep it light.  So I whipped up a classic Tex Mex salad with roasted corn, tomato, red onion, black bean and avocado salad.

Tex Mex Salad:

• Four (4) Ears of Corn (slice and pan roast in cast iron skillet or on the grill til you get roast profile you like – approximately 10 minutes in cast iron skillet on medium heat using 1/4 teaspoon of olive oil)
• Five (5) to Six (6) large Roma tomatoes (cut into small pieces)
• One (2) Red Onion (cut into thin slices)
• Two (2) Avocados (cut into cubes in the skin and scoop out)
• One (1) can of Black Beans
• Season to taste with salt and pepper

Once you’ve prepared all of the above ingredients, mix together in a medium size mixing bowl.  Add in the avocados last and gently stir into mixture so as not to mash the avocado.

To plate:  Use a pre-form biscuit cutter or a ramekin to create molded shape. Thinly slice avocado to top and place Chipolte Meringue atop.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to finish off dish.

This dish is so light it can be served as an appetizer or you can add a protein such as chicken and/or skirt steak plating in the same manner.  Additionally, it’s a great dish for those that are vegan and/or vegetarian.  You can substitute egg whites with Ener-G Egg Substitute so it meets your dietary requirements (and maintains a gluten-free diet).

Remember . . .Enter to win a Gluten-Free Giveaway from Frito-Lay.  Simply fill out the form here and you could win the gluten-free products featured in these recipes. Winner will be announced on NFCA’s Facebook page on Friday, July 20.

Learn more about Frito-Lay’s gluten-free products at FritoLay.com

Learn more about the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness at www.celiaccentral.org.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog post & want to read more – If so subscribe here.  Rachelle King also writes for the Examiner.com as the Austin Gluten-Free Examiner.  You can also find Blinded By The Bite on Twitter & Facebook

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• Does It Really Matter if Your Makeup Is Gluten-Free? (bellasugar.com)
• What is a Gluten-Free Diet? (goldenrule.com)