Gourmet and good for you? You bet! Recipes from Good for Your Gut by registered dietician Desiree Nielsen promote digestive health, but it’s their deliciousness that will keep you coming back to the table!

Makes 6 

• 2 cups tightly packed baby spinach
• 1 medium shallot, roughly chopped
• ½ cup raw walnuts
• ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and patted dry
• 2 (13.5 oz/398 ml each) cans no-salt-added chickpeas or 3 cups cooked chickpeas
• ½ cup gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ¾ tsp salt
• ½ tsp onion powder 
• 2 tbsp water + more if needed
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 tbsp gluten-free tamari 
• Zest of ½ lemon

Place the spinach in a colander over the sink. Slowly pour boiling water over the spinach to wilt it. Let sit to cool.

In a food processor, add the shallot, walnuts, and sun-dried tomatoes. Pulse until finely chopped. Add the chickpeas, rolled oats, nutritional yeast, flaxseed, cumin, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, water, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, tamari and lemon zest. Carefully squeeze all of the excess water from the spinach and add to the food processor. Pulse until about half the mixture looks like a paste, but you can still see plenty of distinct ingredients. You should be able to form a nice patty with ease. If the mixture is crumbly, pulse a bit more or add 1 to 2 tablespoons water, a bit at a time. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Place the burgers in the pan and cook until a golden brown crust forms on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully flip and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. The burgers will be soft and pleasantly squishy when warm, but they will firm up as they cool.

Serve the burgers with or without buns, layered with greens, a bit of vegan mayonnaise, and some olive tapenade, if using.