Tailgate Tuesday: White Chicken Chili

(note: Tailgate Tuesday posts are special features written for the SideLion Report from us gals of The Thrifty Table. Check in every Tuesday for a new recipe perfect for that week's tailgate party!)

We loved last week's Buffalo Chicken Dip and thought that we would continue with another spicy dish for this week. For the Dallas Cowboys game we are making a flavorful White Chicken Chili. With the weather getting colder in Detroit you will enjoy this warm meal while watching the game at home!

White Chicken Chili
1 lb. chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 medium onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
1 1/2 C water
1 t. chicken base (or replace water with chicken stock)
1 can of white northern beans, drained (or pinto beans)
1 can of corn, drained
1 can of tomatoes (use a kind with green chilies for a kick)
1/4 C. red pepper, diced (or green or jalapeno peppers)
1 t. each of cumin, paprika, and chili powder

Cook onion and garlic in a pan with oil. Add chicken and cook until done. Add pepper and season with salt and pepper. Cook together for a few minutes and then add to a slow cooker. Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on high for 2-3 hours, or low for 4-5 hours. Serve with cheese, tortilla chips, and sour cream. Enjoy!

Banana-Lemon Pudding Cake

Last week, I was flipping through the March Rachel Ray magazine and came upon an article about slow cookers. I have always loved using my slow cooker for main course dishes, but have never made a dessert in one. Thanks to Rachel Ray, this Banana-Lemon Pudding Cake was a great opportunity to make my first crock pot dessert.

I had most of the ingredients already, but I did have to buy a few lemons (which I later used in a chicken recipe - coming soon)! I swapped banana flavored Yoplait yogurt for the plain yogurt and cut the sugar in half with Splenda.

Layering the bananas!

Mixing the batter...

Delicious result!

If I make this again, I would pay more attention to the directions (I didn't cook it long enough)! As a result, the bottom was not fully cooked through, but it still tasted great. The recipe says it serves 6...well for us that was more like 2! I originally thought I would make this for our next small group meeting, but it didn't make enough. I am not sure if you can double this recipe successfully or not (let us know if you try)!

The best part about this cake is the great lemon flavor. The side note in the magazine says that you can swap out other fruit for the bananas. Perhaps I will make this again with berries this summer.

Banana-Lemon Pudding Cake (From Rachel Ray Magazine, March 2010)

• 3 eggs, separated
• One 6-ounce container plain fat-free yogurt
• Grated peel and juice of 1 large lemon
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 ripe bananas, sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
• Whipped cream (optional)

1. Grease the inside of a 3- to 4-quart slow cooker with butter. In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. In another large bowl, beat together the egg yolks, yogurt, lemon peel and lemon juice on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the sugar, flour and salt and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Working in 3 or 4 batches, gently fold in the beaten egg whites.

2. Scatter three-quarters of the banana slices on the bottom of the slow cooker, then pour in the batter. Cover and cook on high until the cake is puffed, the top is set and the edges are browned, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Remove the slow cooker insert, still covered, and cool for about 20 minutes.

3. Spoon the pudding into bowls and top with the whipped cream, if using, and the remaining banana slices.