FEEL-GOOD RECIPES THAT ONLY TAKE 15 MINUTES

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!

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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2023-12-05T06:31:39Z dg43tfdfdgfd