Joe Wicks believe spending 15 minutes a day on “small daily wins” – such as cooking a quick, healthy meal, moving your body or simply getting to bed earlier – can drastically improve your life.
A good place to start would be with the recipes from his new book, Feel Good in 15, below. Cacio e pepe beans’n’ greens not only tastes great, but is a recipe for good gut health. Saucy spring onion chicken is halfway between a stir-fry and a curry, and makes spring onions the star of the show. You’ll be licking the plate clean. Lastly, the stovetop plum crumble plumble is a no-faff dessert with a few healthy shortcuts.
So find 15 minutes and get cooking!
Wine recommendations from Perfect Cellar
Domaine Edmond Rentz Crémant D’alsace Brut Prestige Blanc De Blancs NV, £23.45
Made using Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay, this Champagne beating Blanc de Blancs Crémant is made in the traditional champagne method, then aged for 18 months before release for a complex and delicate Crémant. Fantastically full-bodied with pure fruit and elegantly smooth bubbles. Great value, Superb Quality Crémant! Blanc de Blancs Champagne equivalent ... without the price tag!
Domaine De La Chaponne Chiroubles La Forge 2020, £18.95
Chiroubles is the cru with the highest altitudes in Beaujolais producing a lighter wine, famed for their refined, suave, silky, and elegant style. ‘La Forge’ is from a small 1 h/a vineyard on the steep granite hillsides, with delightful aromas of fresh blackberries and blueberries with delicate silky tannins.
Cacio e pepe beans’n’greens
Oh hello, Captain Farty Pants! Fancy some more beans? 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.
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped
400g (14oz) tin of butter beans
½ tbsp freshly ground black pepper
40g (1½oz) parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
150g tender stem broccoli
100g kale
Method:
1 Get the kettle on.
2 Heat the oil into a deep frying pan, then sauté the shallot for 2-3 minutes until softened, stirring regularly. Add the garlic and fry for 1 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.
3 Pour the boiling water into a saucepan and boil the broccoli and kale for 2-3 minutes until tender. Drain, season well and set aside.
4 Serve the beans in two bowls, topped with broccoli and kale with a little bit of extra parmesan.
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. 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:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
640g (1lb 6oz) chicken mini fillets
40g (1½oz) cornflour
5 tbsp oyster sauce
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
2 bunches of spring onions, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, grated
Thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
200-400ml (7-14fl oz) water
Juice of 1-2 limes, plus wedges to serve
Method:
1 Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok and fry the chicken over a high heat for 3-4 minutes, so it gets some nice golden colour.
2 While the chicken is browning, whisk together the cornflour, oyster sauce, soy sauce and honey in a small bowl. Set aside.
3 Scatter in most of the spring onions, setting aside some to garnish, along with the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute until fragrant.
4 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.
5 Season with lime juice, to taste. Serve with rice and lime wedges and scatter with the remaining spring onions.
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! 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.
Serves: 2
300g (10oz) plums (approx 4), stones removed
1 tbsp, plus 20g (¾oz) demerara sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
30g (1oz) salted butter
30g (1oz) hazelnuts, roughly chopped
40g (1½oz) porridge oats
20g (¾oz) plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Method:
1 Add the plums, the 1 tablespoon of sugar and vanilla extract to a small saucepan with 2 tablespoons of water. Cook over a high heat with the lid on for 5 minutes, then take off the lid and reduce the heat, cooking for a further 2–3 minutes, until the fruit is soft.
2 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.
3 Divide the fruit between two bowls and sprinkle with the crumble mixture to serve.
Tip: Add any nuts, seeds or even granola to the crumble to mix it up.
‘Feel Good in 15’ by Joe Wicks (Harper Collins, £11) is published 7 December
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