Just visit CascadianFarm.com and click on the FREE SAMPLE box. In order to share the wealth, there’s a limit of one free sample per person. You must be 18 years or older and reside in the U.S. You can buy the bars online, and there’s a retail store locator (both are in the Products section of the website).

Cascadian Farm is one of the country’s leading brands of organic foods. Therer’s a real 28-acre working farm where it all started, 35 years ago, in the foothills of the Washington’s North Cascades mountain range. You can visit if you’re in the area.

– Cool Beans Dip. Leave the mayonnaise and sour cream dips behind in 2009. Keep the good taste as you trade up to the heart-healthy olive oil base and good nutrition of white beans. Cool Beans is a winner of THE NIBBLE Outstanding Artisan Award.

– French Meadow Bakery. This fine organic baker makes it easy to get your whole grain quota of the day. Just switch to their bread and bagels.

– Holly’s Oatmeal. Even if you think you don’t like oatmeal, give Holly’s a try. It’s a mix of several different whole grains; just one serving has 38g of your 48g daily whole grain requirement. Holly’s Oatmeal is a winner of THE NIBBLE Outstanding Artisan Award.

– Rick’s Picks Pickles & Pickled Vegetables. No sugar, no salt, just delicious farm-fresh vegetables and artisan brine seasoned with fine spices and herbs. Great as snacks, garnishes and low-calorie treats for dieters. Rick’s Picks is a winner of THE NIBBLE Outstanding Artisan Award.

Is a bagel “healthy” food? Yes, when it’s a whole
grain bagel like this one from French Meadow
Bakery. Top it with 0% fat, thick Greek yogurt
instead of cream cheese (we like Chobani, FAGE
and Oikos brands).

– SAVU Smoker Bags. How can you make food taste new and wonderful without adding a single calorie? Here’s the answer! Smoke meat, fish and vegetables in your oven or on the grill.

– True Natural Taste Artisan Organic Mustard. Save calories and enjoy the health benefits of mustard. Make your New Year’s resolution: more delicious mustard, less mayonnaise.

– Vermont Butter & Cheese Company. Goat cheese has less fat and fewer calories than cow’s milk cheese, and is more easily digested, too. Eat more goat cheese in 2009!

Read the reviews of all of these products by clicking on the links above. And watch for THE NIBBLE’s January “health month” issue, online January first.

No matter what the season, Bloody Mary is
one of America’s top three favorite cocktails.

And it’s a healthy drink—at least, it is when you use a good mixer that doesn’t add sweeteners other than those in the Worcestershire Sauce. Just for starters, there are antioxidant lycopenes in the tomato juice,* antioxidants in the citrus juice (vitamin C and others) and a mild antibiotic benefit from the horseradish. An ocean’s worth of Bloody Mary mix is sold each year. Even bars buy mixers rather than take the time to make their own.

*Lycopene may prevent prostate cancer and some other forms of cancer, heart disease and other serious diseases.

While we do mix our own, seeking out the best tomato juices, we also keep tabs on the best Bloody Mary mixers. Recently, we tried three from Demitri’s: Classic, Extra Horseradish and Chilies & Peppers. Demitri Pallis was a frustrated bartender who noted that, “from bartender to bartender, day to day, a customer couldn’t count on a consistent and delicious Bloody Mary.” He developed his mixers for bars; now you can buy them, too. Add two ounces of Demitri’s seasoning to one quart of tomato juice, mix with vodka and toast to the holidays. Read the full review.

– Cranberry Martini recipes (simplest version: cranberry juice, vodka or gin, lime)
– Cranberry Mojito recipe (cranberry juice cocktail, mint leaves, brown sugar cubes, lime and ideally, sugar cane swizzle sticks)

Mint sprigs and fresh cranberries for garnish help with the green and red holiday theme. Merry Christmas from all of us at THE NIBBLE!

Deck the halls with a cranberry martini. Photo by Penny Burt | IST.