Spinach Burgers; the Pizza Phenomenom

There is something undocumented but widely accepted among diabetics called (by me, anyway) The Pizza Phenomenon.

Basically, it's this:  A diabetic can have one slice of pizza, take the appropriate insulin, an all is well.  Most can even have 2 slices, take the right insulin, and still be fine. 

But, for some reason, for most, more than 2 slices and the blood sugar goes through the roof.

The last time we had pizza for lunch, V's blood sugar hit 350 shortly after lunch.  He took more insulin, waited an hour and it was higher.  He took more again, waited an hour and it hadn't moved.  He took more again and it came down 10 points.  Roughly 6 hours later he finally had it under control again.

That's the Pizza Phenomenon.  V is not unique.

The problem, of course, for V and most people, is to stop eating the pizza when it's staring back at you from your plate.

Yesterday I convinced him to split the pizza with me (In Europe, the pizzas are for one person). 

We had an accommodating server:  We each had a rather large salad and split the pizza.  

The result:  He said he would have happily eaten more pizza.

But he was very happy that, 2 hours later his blood sugar was right on target.

Lesson learned!

Spinach Burgers with Mushroom Sauce

Don't let the greenish tinge to these burgers put you off. They fry up to a lovely dark, proper burger color, they taste fantastic and you get a healthy dose of vegetables almost without noticing!

1 large onion           175gr, 6.2oz
2 cloves garlic           8gr, .28oz
2 ribs celery           100gr, 3.5oz
4oz mushrooms           125gr, 4.4oz
1 egg           65gr, 2.3oz
12oz ground beef           350gr, 12.3oz
3/4 cup cooked, chopped spinach - or frozen, thawed, & squeezed dry           225gr, 8oz
3/4 cup red wine - 2 tbs for the patties, 2 tbs for the cornstarch and the rest for the sauce           180gr, 6.3oz
1/2 cup bread crumbs          54gr, 1.9oz
1 tsp thyme
1 cup beef broth           225gr, 8oz
2 tbs tomato paste           30gr, 1oz
1 1/2 tbs cornstarch (maizena)           12gr, .42oz
4 tsp olive oil           18gr, .64oz

Finely chop onions, celery, mushrooms and garlic. Heat 2 tsp oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Sauté half of onions, celery, garlic and mushroom about 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and set aside. Thaw and squeeze all moisture out of spinach.
In a large bowl lightly beat egg. Add bread crumbs, 2 tbs of red wine and thyme. Mix well, then add the beef, spinach and sautéed onion mixture. Mix well - hands work best, and form into 4 patties.
Heat remaining 2 tsp of oil in same skillet, add patties and sauté about 5 minutes per side. Remove, put on oven-proof plate or platter and put in 250F (125C) oven to keep warm while you finish sauce.
Add remaining onions, celery, garlic and mushrooms to skillet and sauté about 5 minutes or until tender. Add 1/2 cup red wine, beef stock and tomato paste to pan and bring to a boil. Dissolve cornstarch in remaining 2 tbs of red wine (or water) and add to sauce, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove patties from oven, pour some of the sauce over and serve with remaining sauce on the side.

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Entire Recipe / per serving
Calories:    1632 / 816
Total Carbohydrates:    98 / 49
   Dietary Fiber:    16 / 8
Total Fat:    82 / 41
Saturated Fat:    26 / 13
Cholesterol:    513 / 256.5
Protein:    100 / 50
Calcium:   548 / 274
Sodium:    1574 / 787

Glycemic Index:  low

I try to be accurate, but I do not guarantee it.  I use 'grams' as the unit of weight; with an approximate conversion to ounces.

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For more recipes check out my internet cook book:  Easy Gourmet Dinners