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Expert Q&A

	By Christina Pirello Christina Pirello is the host of public television's Christina Cooks series, and the author of Cooking the Whole Foods Way (HP Trade, 1997), Christina Cooks (HP Trade, 2004) and Glow (HP Trade, 2001).

I am raising my children to be health conscious, but Halloween always throws me for a loop! Any suggestions?

Halloween can be challenging for any family trying to minimize the amount of sugar our children consume, and while we can eliminate it or avoid it, we can do our best. One trick that works for me is making their favorite treat on Halloween, and for every junk food treat they trade in, they get a bit of their treats and then we donate all the collected candy to a shelter. It works for us.

Sheila's Lacy Wafers

1/4 cup avocado or light olive oil
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup uncooked quick rolled oats
1/4 cup very finely chopped almonds or walnut pieces
1 tablespoon shelled hempseeds
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla or almond extract

Chocolate filling:
1 cup non-dairy, grain-sweetened chocolate chips
2 teaspoons brown rice syrup
1/4 cup vanilla soymilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Place oil and rice syrup in a small saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring, until loose. Remove from heat and transfer to a mixing bowl. Stir in flour until smooth. Fold in oats, nuts, hempseeds and extract, mixing well.

Drop batter, by 1/4 teaspoonful onto lined sheet, allowing 2 inches in between to allow for spreading. Bake until golden brown, eight to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on sheet for one minute. Carefully peel cookies from parchment and set aside to cool.

Prepare the filling by placing chocolate chips in a heat-resistant bowl. Bring rice syrup and soymilk to a rolling boil over high heat. Pour over chocolate and whisk until shiny and smooth.

Pair similar sized cookies to make wafers. Spread the flat side of one cookie with chocolate and press its partner, flat side to chocolate, making a sandwich. Place on parchment to allow chocolate to set. Repeat with remaining cookies and chocolate. Makes 30 to 40 filled cookies.

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