Naturally Sweet Banana Bread
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The Dry Team
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chopped pecans

The Wet Team
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
5 tablespoons splenda
4 large, over-ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare the 9" x 5" loaf pan. Spray it with non-stick spray. Cut a piece of parchment paper that is 9" wide and 20" long. Press it down into the pan covering the bottom and sides, with the long ends draping over the sides. These will be your "handles" when lifting the bread out later.

Dry Team: In one bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Gently stir in the nuts.

Wet Team: In another bowl beat the egg until light in color and frothy. Drizzle in the butter and beat until emulsified with the egg. Add the vanilla extract, baking powder, splenda, bananas, water, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg.

Fold the Dry Ingredients into the Wet Ingredients. Don't over stir. There will be a few lumps: that's OK.

The batter for this is rather thick and gloppy at this point. Schlopp it into the loaf pan and spread it around to the edges.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. (In my oven this goes for 30 minutes but requires a rotation halfway through so one side doesn't burn.) It is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the loaf cool for 30 minutes then pull it and put it on a rack to cool the rest of the way. Or, eat it warm -- hey, it's your banana bread!