For healthy appetites
Fitness guru Joe Wicks’s latest book, Feel Good In 15, contains a whole host of quick recipes, workouts and health snacks for those looking to get into shape in the new year. Pictures by David Loftus.
Saucy spring onion chicken
“This is one of my family’s favourite recipes, and it went down a storm when I shared it on Instagram. Everyone loved it,” says Joe Wicks.
“It takes spring onions and makes them the star of the dish, which creates so much flavour. It’s halfway between a stir-fry and a curry, with a lovely thick sauce that coats the whole lot and will have you licking the plate clean.”
Serves 4. Ingredients: 1tbsp vegetable oil; 640g chicken mini fillets; 40g cornflour; 5tbsp oyster sauce; 4tbsp soy sauce; 2tbsp honey; 2 bunches of spring onions, finely sliced; 4 garlic cloves, grated; Thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated; 200–400ml water; Juice of 1–2 limes, plus wedges to serve.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok and fry the chicken over a high heat for three to four minutes, so it gets some nice golden colour.
While the chicken is browning, whisk together the cornflour, oyster sauce, soy sauce and honey in a small bowl. Set aside.
Scatter in most of the spring onions, setting aside some to garnish, along with the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for one minute until fragrant.
Pour in the cornflour-soy mixture and coat the chicken and veg, then add the water, bring up to the boil and let the whole thing bubble away and get thick and glossy.
Season with lime juice, to taste. Serve with rice and lime wedges and scatter with the remaining spring onions.
Cacio e pepe beans ’n’ greens
“This is probably one of the stranger-looking recipes in this book, but don’t judge it on its looks alone, because this cheesy dish tastes magnificent and it’s another great one for the all-important gut health,” says Joe Wicks.
Serves 2. Ingredients: 1tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 1 shallot, finely chopped; 4 garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped; 400g tin of butter beans; Half a tbsp freshly ground black pepper; 40g Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve; 1tbsp red wine vinegar; 150g Tenderstem broccoli; 100g kale.
Get the kettle on. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan, then sauté the shallot for two to three minutes until softened, stirring regularly. Add the garlic and fry for one minute until fragrant, then throw in the tin of butter beans, along with any liquid from the tin. Bring up to a simmer, add the pepper, Parmesan and red wine vinegar. Don’t skimp on the pepper here – it’s the main flavour, and you want it to be almost spicy.
Pour the boiling water into a saucepan and boil the broccoli and kale for two to three minutes until tender. Drain, season well and set aside.
Serve the beans in two bowls, topped with broccoli and kale with a little bit of extra Parmesan.
Stovetop plum crumble plumble
“A crumble with no faffing about. Can you believe it? No faff, no oven and it’s ready in 15 minutes,” says Joe Wicks.
“This speedy crumble has a few healthy shortcuts, but the end result is bang on. Tastes just as good when it hits the lips. Swap the plums for any in-season fruit and follow the same method – you may just need to lengthen the cooking times for harder fruits like apples and pears.”
You can even add any nuts, seeds or granola you like to the crumble mix, to give it a bit more crunch.
Serves 2. Ingredients: 300g plums (approx. 4), stones removed; 1tbsp, plus 20g demerara sugar; 1/2tsp vanilla extract; 30g salted butter; 30g hazelnuts, roughly chopped; 40g porridge oats; 20g plain flour; 1tsp ground cinnamon
Add the plums, the one tablespoon of sugar and vanilla extract to a small saucepan with two tablespoons of water. Cook over a high heat with the lid on for five minutes, then take off the lid and reduce the heat, cooking for a further two to three minutes, until the fruit is soft.
In a frying pan, add the remaining demerara sugar, butter, hazelnuts, oats, flour and cinnamon and cook, stirring regularly, until golden and crisp, about 10 minutes.
Divide the fruit between two bowls and sprinkle with the crumble mixture to serve.
Cookbook author and personal trainer Joe Wicks reflects on how far his outlook on food, exercise and life has come.