I ordered a book of Splenda recipes and was so disappointed. All the dishes had as many calories using Splenda as they would have been using sugar. Maybe they would be good for people who aren't watching their weight, but I believe the Splenda people should at least have an alternate recipe for those of us who ARE.

Quick breads ALWAYS work well w/ Splenda; another way to reduce fat and calories in quick breads is to use applesauce [unsweetened] instead of oil or butter or shortening. Use egg whites in place of whole eggs or use the fake eggs. Try using crunchy cereal instead of nuts if you must, but that's my last choice of ingredients to exchange. What's banana-nut bread w/o the nuts?!

Here's my own recipe for BANANA-ORANGE-COCONUT-ALMOND BREAD:

(Bananas, if they're really ready, should be snipped at the bottom and SQUEEZED into a bowl. Get "natural" almonds and toast them before using. Cut a navel orange into eighths and pulverize in food processor. Don't forget to dredge almonds in flour so they won't sink to the bottom of the pan and stick.]

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 t. soda

1/2 t. salt

1/2 cup or more chopped almonds or walnuts

1 cup Splenda [the kind in a bag]

3 really-truly-ripe bananas

1 pulverized navel orange

1 t. orange extract or 3 drops orange oil

2 egg whites or fake eggs

1/2 cup coconut

Don't bother separating wet from dry ingredients. Just mix them all in a big bowl. This makes 1 9x5 loaf and 6 small muffins, give or take. If your batter is too dry, add 1/4 cup orange juice.

My oven is slow, I think. Bake for 35-45 minutes in a greased pan, then test w/ toothpick.

Now here's the really nice way to make sure it's nice and moist: Use Paula Deen's recipe for an applesauce cake glaze. Copy this and post it inside a kitchen cabinet door b/c you'll want to use it again and again.

PAULA DEEN'S CAKE OR QUICK BREAD TOPPING

1 STICK BUTTER

1 CUP SUGAR

DASH OF BAKING SODA

1/2 CUP BUTTERMILK

MELT BUTTER AND SUGAR IN SAUCEPAN, ADD SODA AND BUTTERMILK. BRING TO ROLLING BOIL; BOIL FOR 5 MINUTES; POUR OVER WARM CAKE