All-action athlete Pippa Middleton has two great passions in life – delicious food and healthy living. That's why she leapt at the chance to create a recipe book full of heart-healthy recipes to help raise money for the British Heart Foundation, the charity of which she is an ambassador.
Pippa, 33, teamed up with food editors from the Waitrose Weekend newspaper and BHF-registered dieticians to compile Heartfelt, which will be available to buy from 29 September.
Pippa Middleton teamed up with the British Heart Foundation to produce Heartfelt
"Healthy eating is something that all of us strive for, even if we sometimes stray," Pippa told HELLO!. "Whether it's an occasional guilty pleasure or a daily habit we feel uncomfortable when we eat something we know we shouldn't."
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She revealed: "My mother always says preparing a healthy and tasty meal for the family is one of life's greatest pleasures – and pressures. With the demands of family life, even the most enthusiastic cook can struggle to come up with new ideas week in week out and not rely on convenience foods to serve up a meal at the end of a long day.
"Healthy food is not just good for you, but can also be fun to prepare and delicious to eat."
CHICKEN & LEEK CASSEROLE
SERVES 4 PREPARE 15 MINS COOK 30 MINS
This recipe is a great wholesome midweek supper to have in your repertoire. Adding extra vegetables and beans to a casserole helps you towards your five a day while also making the meat go further.
Heat the oil in a non-stick sauté pan and cook the chicken over a high heat until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan, drain on kitchen paper and keep warm.
Add the leeks to the pan and cook over a low heat for 3–4 minutes until softened but not browned. Add the beans, thyme, bay leaf and stock, cover and simmer for a further 4 minutes.
Arrange the chicken on top of the beans, cover the pan and cook over a low heat for 15–20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Scatter with flat-leaf parsley and serve with pearl barley, steamed broccoli florets and some wilted chard or asparagus.
Note: You can also serve with some healthier garlic bread, made by rubbing a halved garlic clove over slices of toasted wholegrain baguette and drizzling over a little olive oil.
1 tsp olive oil
500g boneless, skinless chicken breast
400g leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced
400g can haricot beans, drained and rinsed
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 fresh bay leaf
300ml homemade chicken stock | page 15 | or ready-made, low-salt alternative
A bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped (20g)
234 Kcal / 989 kJ