Fitness guru Joe Wicks shows you how to shape up for summer in the kitchen with some healthy recipes
Body Coach is giving Sun readers a sneak peek at his new cookbook
JOE WICKS is back for Day Two of delicious recipes with The Sun.
Next week the 31-year-old fitness sensation is launching his new book, Cooking With Family & Friends, and he's been giving Sun readers an early look inside, today showing three of his top low-carb recipes.
Filled with home-cooked meals and tips on how to enjoy food and stay “lean”, it is a step away from his Lean In 15 trilogy by excluding workouts.
Joe says: “Since day one my aim has been to get more people cooking healthy food at home.
“I hope this demonstrates what you can easily knock up to impress family and friends without defaulting to unhealthy stuff which is seen as easier.”
Previously the focus of Joe’s books was on providing quick, healthy meals and HIIT workouts, but this has a more laid-back approach to cooking.
Joe says: “The recipes take longer to make than my signature 15-minute meals, but I promise they’re worth the wait.
"I’ve done my best to keep the prep times low, so you can bung them in the oven, put your feet up and relax — or fit in a sneaky workout.
If you are on my 90 Day Plan it is perfect for you, and if not, you can just enjoy delicious food
The book includes main courses, sides and even desserts.
"If you are on my 90 Day Plan it is perfect for you, and if not, you can just enjoy delicious food,” says Joe.
There is no sign of Joe’s famous six pack in the book either, instead showing his “family man” side, cooking meals for those close to him, including his cute 10-month-old nephew, Oscar.
MOST READ IN LIVING
Being an uncle has made Joe even more aware of the importance of healthy eating and home-cooking.
He says: “Kids should be involved in the food choices at home and educated as early as possible about good nutrition and exercise.
"Get them to help write shopping lists and fill the baskets at the supermarket.
"These may seem like small things but they could have a big impact.”
— Cooking For Family & Friends: 100 Lean Recipes to Enjoy Together, by Joe Wicks, out June 1, £20, published by Bluebird.
Pulled pork with fennel salad
JOE SAYS: “I know this takes ages to make, but truly melt-in-the-mouth pulled pork requires patience. You’ll be amazed at how good this tastes.”
Serves 6. Prep 10 mins. Cook 4 hrs 30 mins
YOU NEED:
1.75kg piece of rolled pork shoulder
1½ tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper
2 red onions
4 sprigs of thyme
Juice of ½ orange
2 bulbs of fennel, finely sliced
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
¼ red cabbage, finely sliced
2½ tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp white wine vinegar
½ tsp caraway seeds
40g walnuts, roughly chopped
METHOD: Preheat your oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6.
Mix together the oil, paprika and cumin with a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
Rub the mixture all over the pork, then place it in a roasting tray and roast for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 160C/140 fan/Gas 3.
Roll out a large piece of tin foil and lay a piece of baking parchment on top of that.
Roughly slice one of the red onions and place it in the middle of the paper with the thyme sprigs on top.
Then place the pork on top and put it all back into the roasting tray.
Draw the sides of the parchment up around the pork and squeeze over the orange juice.
Seal the tin foil together and return the pork to the oven to cook for 4 hours.
When the pork has 20 minutes to go, prepare your fennel salad.
Finely slice the second red onion and slide it into a large bowl with the other prepped vegetables.
Add the mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, caraway seeds and walnuts, and stir to combine.
Set aside until you’re ready to eat.
When the pork is ready, remove it from the oven and leave to sit for 10 minutes.
Rip open the tin foil and transfer to a big serving dish.
Use two forks to pull the pork apart, then serve with the salad.
Grilled prawns with halloumi salad
JOE SAYS: “It may seem odd grilling watermelon, but it tastes wicked with the salty halloumi.
"If you’re not a fan of prawns use grilled chicken.”
Serves 4. Prep 10 mins. Cook 10 mins
YOU NEED:
600g raw prawns, peeled and cleaned
Flesh of ½ small watermelon (about 600g), cut into triangles
250g halloumi, cut into 12 slices
Bunch of basil, leaves only, roughly torn
Bunch of mint, leaves only, roughly torn
3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
14 pitted black olives
4 large handfuls of rocket
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Drizzle of olive oil
METHOD: Cook the prawns, watermelon and halloumi separately on a hot barbecue.
Each will take roughly 2 minutes on each side.
If you’re using a griddle pan, the prawns will need longer, around 2½ minutes on each side.
Cook the prawns first, making sure they are totally pink all the way through, then the watermelon, and finally the halloumi, so it remains warm when you serve the salad.
Then toss together in a bowl with the basil, mint, pine nuts, olives and rocket.
Serve with the lemon wedges and olive oil.
Crispy duck pancakes
JOE SAYS: "Whenever I eat out at a Chinese restaurant these pancakes are my go-to dish.
"You may not have cooked duck before but give it a go, it’s easy."
Serves 4-6. Prep 15 mins, plus marinating. Cook 1 hr 50 mins
YOU NEED:
6 duck legs
250ml shaoxing wine
1 onion, roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic, bashed but whole
15cm orange peel
4 star anise
50g fresh ginger, roughly chopped
500ml chicken stock
200ml hoisin sauce
6 spring onions, finely sliced
1 cucumber, de-seeded and cut into 2.5cm batons
20–25 Chinese-style pancakes
METHOD: Put the duck legs into a large saucepan and pour over the wine.
Chuck in the onion, garlic, orange peel, star anise and ginger. Leave for 30 minutes.
Pour over enough stock to cover the legs then put on a high heat.
Bring to the boil, and simmer for 1 hour 20 minutes, until incredibly tender.
Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6.
Mix the hoisin sauce with about 3 tbsps of the cooking liquid from the pan.
Carefully remove the legs, pat dry with kitchen roll, then lay in a large roasting tray.
Pour the sauce mixture over the legs, turning to cover each leg.
Slide the roasting tray into the oven and cook for 30 minutes, turning over halfway.
When ready, transfer to a plate, scraping out as much of the sauce as possible and break up the meat.
Heat the pancakes in a steamer or microwave. Serve with spring onions and cucumber.