Cutting carbs when you just really love bread: how to get your gluten hit

Last week, I made the embarrassing mistake of asking for a Diet Coke in a hipster eatery. Let's just say I received a very specific look. Some might call it a death stare.

The waitress told me in no uncertain times that they don't serve "that stuff" but asked if I'd like some Kombucha instead. What's that when it's at home? Juice? Erm, no. It turns out it's a drink made by fermenting tea using a symbiotic 'colony' of bacteria and yeast. Mmmm delish...excuse me while I drink this can of Coke in the corner of shame. Since healthy eating basically became the law, I regularly hear a voice come out of my mouth that sounds like mine but says things like "I’ll have the organic hummus wrap with quinoa, the kale kimchi, and a water", when the voice in my head has clearly ordered a white bread bacon sandwich with brown sauce, a packet of cheese and onion crisps and a Coke. What’s going on? Who is this quinoa person? I know who she is. She is someone who has succumbed to the state of moral panic in Ireland and is holding bacon sambo woman captive. During these times of carbohydrate-related regret I turn to my secret gluten hit: cloud bread. This super low-carb, four-ingredient 'bread' is the answer for those of us who love the taste but hate the guilt. Here are three recipes (including a bacon sandwich) you can thank me for later... Use this basic recipe for Cloud Bread. 1. Cloud Bread Bacon Avocado Sandwich Creamy avocado, seasoned chicken and crispy bacon will turn your cloud bread into this beauty of a sandwich. Filling 1 tbsp. Mayonnaise 1 tsp. Sriracha 2 slices Bacon 3 oz. Chicken 2 slices Cheddar cheese 2  Tomatoes Avocado (about 2 oz.) Instructions While the cloud breads are baking, cook the chicken and bacon with some salt and pepper. To arrange the sandwich, begin by combining mayo and sriracha and spreading that onto the underside of one of the cloud breads. Add your chicken onto your mayo mixture. Add two slices of cheese and the bacon, nestle some halved tomatoes and spread mashed avocado on top. Season to taste, and top with the other cloud bread. (Recipe via Ruled.me) 2. Cloud Bread Pizza Pizza cravings have caused many a low-carb or grain-free dieter to go off the diet rails. But no more. Enter the cloud bread margherita pizza Ingredients 1/2 cup pizza sauce Basil leaves, 6-10 leaves 6 - 8 oz fresh mozzarella, slices (cut into fourths) Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 225 C. Line two cookie sheets with non-stick sheets or spray with non-stick cooking spray. 2. Let the breads cool a little before you start assembling the pizzas (note: breads are very crumbly at first). 3. To make pizzas spoon about 2-3 teaspoons of sauce over pizzas and spread evenly, top with small pieces of basil, lastly top with cheese. 4. Bake at for 6-8 minutes. Watch the pizzas closely as the bread will continue to brown. (Recipe via 360 Family Nutrition) 3. Cloud Bread 'Strawberry Shortcake' Coconut milk "whipped cream" adds an extra special touch of flavor and nutrition to this gorgeous and much-better-for-you version of strawberry shortcake. Ingredients 2 cups Sliced Strawberries 2 tbsp Honey ¼ cup Coconut Milk* 1 tbsp Coconut Sugar 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract Instructions While the cloud bread is baking, slice the strawberries. Add the 2 tbsp honey to the strawberries and let sit. Next whip the whip cream ingredients until thickened. Let the cloud bread cool a little before you assemble the shortcakes, and layer high with whipped "cream" and berries. Sprinkle with coconut palm sugar. Enjoy. (Recipe via Fitfreshandhappy.com)