Whole Wheat Banana Nut Bread

This afternoon, in a flurry of energy and ambition, I rode my bike downtown (huff, huff--these mountain streets are really killer), purchased a few baking supplies at the local grocer, and rode back with plans for banana nut bread. Before you stop reading this blog because who cares about cooking anyway? let me tell you that as a college student, cooking has become sacred. I used to cook all the time, and I wish I still could cook all the time. I would prefer taking great pains to prepare my repasts each day to eating in the cafeteria (can anyone say "I can't remember the last time my gastrointestinal system worked correctly"?) or (gasp!) the food court. I am currently trying to worm my way out of the mandatory meal plan (yes, they make you purchase a $1300 meal plan if you live on campus) for next year--my little way of fighting the system--but until then I am stuck with awful food that sits around exposed to germs for hours on end until it's either gone or just too nasty and stale to be edible anymore. I shan't regale you with any more of that horror story for the moment. Back to my bread.

This recipe is as delicious as I remember it being the last time I made it. But now that I'm part of an online community I feel obliged to share it and hope that you all enjoy. P.S. I do understand the banana controversy, but when someone gives you a bunch of overripe bananas out of the goodness of their heart you don't turn them down.

Whole Wheat Banana Nut Bread

--1/3 cup vegetable oil (other oils work just as well, but veg. oil has a neutral flavor)

--1/2 cup honey (you could sub. maple syrup)

--1 tsp. vanilla extract

--2 eggs

--1 cup mashed bananas (the softer the better)

--1 & 3/4 cup whole wheat flour

--1/2 tsp. sea salt

--1 tsp. baking soda

--1/4 cup hot water

--1/2 cup raw walnuts chopped and toasted

1.) Preheat oven to 325.

2.) In large bowl, whisk oil and honey together. Add eggs and mix well. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt. On the side, add baking soda to hot water, stirring to mix (make sure to get all the clumps out), and add this to the batter. Blend in nuts.

3.) Grease and flour a 9x5" loaf pan and pour batter into pan.

4.) Bake 55-60 minutes (check at 45 minutes to see how it's coming along). Cool on wire rack 1/2 hour before slicing even though it's really tempting not to wait.

5.) Enjoy the fruits of your labor! This stuff is the shit with cream cheese. Don't even tell me you're on a diet--the bike ride to the grocer cancels out all the calories (and really, who's counting?).