Joe serves up the feelgood factor
In Feel Good Food, Joe Wicks has created more than 100 tasty and easy meals that are quick to get on the table and will have you and your family feeling your best. Photographs by Dan Jones.
Sweet potato nachos
Joe says: “I mean, come on, look at the photo. How good do they look? Nacho life for the win. This is actually a really healthy recipe with loads of good stuff. It’s one of the best things to make as a family and then all just steam into when it comes out of the oven. Cheese all dripping down your chin... Mess everywhere... Fighting over the last crispy bits!”
SERVES 4
Ingredients
• 4 medium sweet potatoes (around 600g), peeled and sliced into 5-mm thick coins
• 1 tbsp light olive oil 1 tsp salt
• 60g Cheddar cheese, grated
• 4 tbsp low-fat natural yoghurt, to serve
For the spiced mince
• 1tbspoil
• 1 red onion, diced
• 100g veggie mince (or minced beef)
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp smoked paprika pinch of chilli powder
• 130g frozen sliced bell pepper (or the same amount of fresh, sliced)
For the refried beans
• 400-g tin of black beans, drained but liquid reserved
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
For the salsa
• 200g cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
• big handful of fresh coriander,finely
• chopped juice of 1 lime
• pinch of salt
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan.
Toss the sliced sweet potatoes with the oil and salt on a large baking tray, then spread them out into a single layer (you may need a second baking tray). Roast for 30–40 minutes, flipping them over halfway through, until starting to turn golden.
For the spiced mince, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook for about five minutes until translucent. Add the mince, breaking it up with your spoon, and cook for a few minutes according to the packet instructions, or until the mince is no longer pink if using beef. Stir in the cumin, coriander, paprika, chilli powder and frozen (or fresh) sliced peppers. Stir until the peppers have defrosted and warmed through (about five minutes if using fresh, until softened). Tip into a bowl and set aside.
For the refried beans, return the same pan to the heat and add the drained beans along with 100ml of the liquid reserved from the tin, the salt and cumin. Mash with a potato masher in the pan, loosening with more bean liquid as needed, to make a creamy, slightly chunky paste. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Mix together all of the salsa ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Once the potato nachos are roasted, top with spoonfuls of the refried beans, followed by a layer of the mince mixture and finally sprinkle over the grated cheese. Return to the oven for 10–15 minutes until the cheese has melted and crisped up in places.
Remove from the oven, top with the salsa and some dollops of yoghurt, then serve.
Chicken caprese burgers
Joe says: “Just look at this burger. Oh my days… It’s heavenly, isn’t it? I love everything about it. The chicken, mozzarella and pesto are a match made in heaven. Don’t skip this recipe because I think its one of the best burgers I ever created.”
SERVES 4
Ingredients
• 4 skinless chicken breasts
• 50g plain flour
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1egg
• 75g panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
• 1 x 125-g ball of mozzarella cheese, drained
• 4 heaped tsp basil pesto
• 4 medium tomatoes, sliced • a handful of fresh rocket
• 4 ciabatta rolls, halved
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
Take a large piece of baking paper, place a chicken breast on the left half of the paper and fold the right half of the paper over the top. Whack the chicken with the end of a rolling pin until it’s an even thickness all over. Set this chicken breast aside and repeat with the remaining chicken. Cut each breast in half so you have eight smaller pieces in total.
Take three wide, shallow dishes. In one, mix the flour, dried oregano, a pinch of salt and a pinch of ground black pepper. In the second dish, mix the egg with a pinch of salt. In the third dish, place the panko breadcrumbs. Dip each chicken piece in the flour, the egg and finally the breadcrumbs, shaking off the excess. Place onto the lined baking tray spacing them a few centimetres apart. Drizzle with half of the oil, then flip them all over and drizzle with the remaining oil.
Bake for 25–30 minutes, flipping them over halfway through the cooking time, until golden and crisp.
Cut the mozzarella into eight slices and place one slice onto each piece of chicken. Return to the oven for five minutes so that the cheese can melt. Remove from the oven and top each piece of chicken with a little pesto. Serve in the ciabatta rolls with the rocket and tomatoes.
Gingerbread cupcakes with date caramel
Joe says: “Who doesn’t like gingerbread!? I’ve made these a few times for the kids at parties and they always go down very well. The date topping is genius. too. When soaked in hot water, the dates soften and can be blended into a puree, which has a smooth, sticky texture and a caramel-like flavour.”
MAKES 6
Ingredients
• 90g wholemeal plain flour
• 30g soft dark brown sugar or coconut sugar
• 25g ground almonds
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground clove
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• 90g 0%-fat Greek yoghurt 45ml water
• 1egg
• 1 ½ tbsp melted coconut oil
• 2 tbsp crystallised ginger chunks, to decorate For the date Ccaramel
• 100g pitted dates
• 60ml milk or non-dairy milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• good pinch of salt
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan and line a standard muffin tin with six muffin cases.
Mix together the flour, sugar, ground almonds, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt in a medium bowl.
In a separate bowl or jug, combine the yoghurt, water, egg and coconut oil.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir together until just combined.
Divide the mixture between the prepared muffin cases.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, make the caramel. Place the dates into a small jug and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 15 minutes to soak.
Drain the dates and return to the jug, then add the milk, vanilla and salt. Blend until smooth with a hand blender; or in a food processor or free-standing blender.
Once you’re ready to serve the cupcakes, frost them with the date caramel and sprinkle on some of the crystallised ginger chunks for decoration.
■ Feel Good
Food by Joe Wicks is published by
HQ, Harper Collins £20.