This $#!% is bananas

"I'm your genie, I'm your friend, I'm your willing slave. Take a chance, just feed me... and you know the kind of eats, the kind of red-hot treats, the kind of sticky-licky sweets I crave." -- Audrey II, from Little Shop of Horrors

Back in my college days, every student with a meal plan and no qualms about reappropriating food from the Dining Hall inevitably had plenty of bananas around. Since these bananas tended to get old faster than they got eaten, my suitemates and I would pool our resources once a week or so, turn out a few loaves of banana bread, and feed ourselves until the bananas piled up again.

I thought my surplus banana days were over until I started work and encountered The Fruit Man whose cart lives across the street from my clinic. In an insanely crafty business move, he charges 33 cents per banana but will gladly give you four for $1. Of course, since most people on the upper east side -- myself included -- are more willing to dig out a buck than a handful of change, we always end up buying four bananas when we really only want one. I usually share the extras with my coworkers, but sometimes, those bananas end up coming home with me, where they pile up once more.

I bought my bananas this morning, and as luck would have it, I had a major cake craving by noon. I left work that evening fully intending to walk over to Crumbs for a red velvet cupcake, but, on the walk to Third Avenue, remembered the two bananas in my bag and the two more on top of my microwave at home. Thus, I headed south instead of north, went home, and started baking right after dinner. I made some adjustments to my usual recipe and baked it in Corningware souffle dishes rather than digging out my loaf pans. The result was delicious, super-simple, and because I used whole-wheat flour and substituted equal parts Smart Balance and applesauce for the butter, healthier than it looks. I've already frozen a few slices for when the crave strikes again.

Ashley's Banana Bread

½ cup butter, softened (or 1/4 cup buttery spread and 1/4 cup sugar-free applesauce)
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 eggs
4 old bananas
1 tbsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon
2 cups flour (or 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour)
2 tsp baking powder
½ cup chocolate chunks (usually semi-sweet, but I used white this time)
½ cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter (and, perhaps, applesauce) and sugar together, then beat in eggs. Add cocoa powder, mashed-up bananas, vanilla, cinnamon, flour, and baking powder, in that order, and mix well after adding each ingredient. Stir in chocolate and cranberries. Coat one large loaf pan, four small loaf pans, or four souffle dishes with nonstick cooking spray, divide batter equally between the pans, then bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each loaf comes out clean. Cool in pan for ten minutes before serving. Makes one large loaf or four small loaves.