Kefir Kommunity

Creamy Tomato Bisque + An Immersion Blender Giveaway

LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:49:00 GMT

Things that make us feel warm and cozy: a hug from mom, kittens sleeping on our feet, and a nice bowl of tomato soup. You probably know better than we do about where to get a hug and some kittens, but we can definitely tell you how to make yourself a pretty great bowl of soup. In fact, we can even give you a kitchen tool to help you make it. (See the end of this post for details!)

This recipie is adapted from one by Chef Sarah Simmons. We’re getting a head start on our New Year's resolutions this year, so we used plain kefir in place of heavy cream, which cuts a lot of fat from this recipe without sacrificing flavor. Served with a side of crunchy crostini topped with yummy farmer cheese, this is a nutritious, grown-up take on the classic grilled cheese and tomato soup combo.

Soup Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 cup diced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup thinly-sliced carrots
1/2 cup thinly-sliced celery stalks
28 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 chipotle pepper in 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup Lifeway Greek-style Kefir

Directions:

Heat oil over medium heat in a medium-size stockpot. Add onion and a pinch of salt, stirring and cooking until the onions are translucent. (About 5 minutes.)
Add the carrots and celery, and cook for 3 more minutes. Then add the garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add the chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, stock, and tomato paste and bring back to a boil.

Cover partially, and simmer on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.
Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully transfer to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.)

Whisk in the Kefir until fully incorporated, serve warm.

Farmer Cheese Toast Ingredients:

1 lb Lifeway Farmer Cheese
¼ cup chopped chives
½ tsp garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste
1 bagette (or your favorite crusty bread,) cut into slices
Olive oil

Directions:

Mix the cheese, salt, garlic powder and chives together, set aside. Heat a stovetop griddle on medium-high and lightly brush both sides of each slice of bread with olive oil. Grill each slice on the stove top until crispy, and marked from the griddle. Top each slice with a smear of cheese mixture. Dunk and enjoy!

Immersion Blender Giveaway

Want to give this recipe a whirl without dusting off your blender or food processor? We happen to have five immersion blenders to give away! There are two ways to enter.

You can either:

1. Send us a recipe that calls for at least one of our products. Kefir, cheese, frozen kefir, etc. Email your recipe to NatalieS@lifeway.net

- or -

2. Leave us a comment on this post about how our blog can help you keep your New Years recolution. (Please be sure to enter an email address so we can let you know if you win!) Should we post more low-fat recipes? More posts about yoga and other workouts? More posts about good causes you should get behind?

We'll choose a few winning recipes and a few winning comments a week from today, December 23rd. Good luck!

Lollapalooza Winner!

LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 16:57:00 GMT

Congratulations to commenter "Ant" who suggested Neapolitan Kefir and wants to see Girl Talk. Random.org selected your number, so prepare for Lollapalooza! Thanks to all of the participants -- we've got some great ideas for future kefir flavors now. Ant, we'll contact you soon with details!

Win Tickets to Pitchfork Music Festival

LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:02:00 GMT

We love music, so we're ecstatic to be sponsoring Pitchfork Music Fest -- one of the hottest festivals of the year. The three day passes for this Friday, Saturday and Sunday are sold out, but we've got a pair for one lucky kefir lover! Leave a comment below, telling us your favorite Lifeway kefir flavor and which act you're most excited to see. We’ll pick a winner using random.org this Thursday at noon and announce the results in a blog as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

Good luck, and remember to stop by booth 49 for free samples if Lifeway frozen kefir!

*The winner will be responsible for travel and lodging accommodations, so please keep that in mind before entering the contest.

Solid Sound Winner!

LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 16:47:00 GMT

Congratulations to "Soulsister" the Lifeway kefir and Wilco fan who won our Solid Sound ticket giveaway! The powers that be at random.org must love her. Thanks to all of the interested participants. Soulsister, we'll contact you soon with details!

Wanna See WILCO?!

LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 20:18:00 GMT

We’re bigtime music lovers here at Lifeway – we’ve handed out hundreds of thousands of bottles of kefir at Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo and recently toured the country in our 80s-themed bus, blasting Madonna, The Bangles and old-school hip hop. So our fans shouldn’t be surprised to hear that we’re partnering with yet another exciting music event: Solid Sound, a three-day music and arts festival curated by WILCO. Taking place June 24-26 at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Berkshire County, Massachusetts (about 170 miles north of NYC), some of our favorite bands will join forces with the nation’s largest contemporary art museum to blow the audience’s mind.

We're Gonna Party Like It’s 1986!

LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:45:00 GMT

Did you rock a single earring while grooving to The Bangles’ Walk Like an Egyptian? Watch Matthew Broderick, Jennifer Grey and Charlie Sheen on the big screen in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? Swoon over a foxy Michael J. in Family Ties? Reach out in Hands Across America?

Give Us Some Ideas, Get Some BioKefir!

LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 16:08:00 GMT

Earlier this year we launched BioKefir, our 3.5 ounce shots that have double the probiotic activity of a normal 8 ounce glass of kefir. We see BioKefir as a revolutionary addition to our already extensive product line. Sure, these little bottles pack a hefty probiotic punch, but they also come in five delicious flavors: Pomegranate Blueberry, Kiwi Passion Fruit, Blackberry, Black Cherry, and Vanilla.

Our recent foray into new taste sensations has been a delicious experiment. Now comes the fun part... we want YOU to help give us some ideas for brand new flavors. The first 10 commenters who give us a little help will be rewarded with a coupon for a free 4-pack of BioKefir!

Chicago Sky Sweepstakes

LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:51:00 GMT

Only a few days left to enter our the Chicago Sky Player for a Day Sweepstakes presented by Lifeway Kefir!