Comfort food you can whip up in your kitchen

Need a little pick-me-up? These simple and tasty recipes will sure hit the spot.

Feeling a little peckish? Min Ju of Avorush, Asia Square Tower 2 shares two of her easy-to-make recipes that anyone can follow, even if you’re a novice in the kitchen.

Summer Pasta Salad

This recipe requires only a handful of ingredients and can be easily made at home. It’s a simple dish with a reduced pasta portion complemented by generous amounts of vegetable and lean meat, making it tasty and wholesome.

Ingredients

  • 50g penne
  • 150g chicken breast
  •  1/2 medium size zucchini
  •  15 - 20 pcs cherry tomato
  • ½ bunch of fresh basil (15g), torn up or chopped
  • 1 small garlic
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Ground black pepper
  • Salt (kosher salt)

Method

  1. Put a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.
  2. Halve the cherry tomatoes and dice the zucchini (around 1.5cm). Set aside.
  3. Cut the chicken breast into small bite-sized pieces (about 2cm). Lightly season with a pinch of salt, ground black pepper and a dash of olive oil.
  4. Add the penne to the pot of boiling water and cook according to the instructions on the packet.
  5. To make the pasta dressing, add 1.5 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar and 4.5 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil into a bowl. Add a pinch of ground black pepper, grate in a small garlic, and mix together with a fork. Set aside.
  6. Heat a grill pan (or a frying pan). Oil the zucchini lightly and cook them on the grill pan in medium high heat until they are lightly charred. Remove and place into a large mixing bowl. In the same grill pan, continue cooking the chicken breast and add the cooked chicken into the same mixing bowl.
  7. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, and immediately toss the pasta in the large mixing bowl with the grilled zucchini and chicken. Add the cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. Stir in the balsamic dressing and toss everything well. Season to taste.

Tip: Is it a no-carb day? You can skip the pasta and add in more of the zucchini, tomato and basil, or other vegetables like asparagus for a guilt-free dish!

Nutty Chia Balls

This no-bake, vegan dish is perfect if you’re looking for a healthy chocolate snack or dessert that you can whip up in under half an hour.

Ingredients

  • 70g walnuts, almonds, pecans
  • 40g desiccated coconut
  • 25g sweetener (I use maple)
  • 2 tbs chia seeds
  • 100g good-quality dark chocolate (I use Lindt 70% Dark Cacao)

Makes 18 - 22 balls

Method

  1. Place the nuts, desiccated coconut, maple syrup and chia seed into a food processor. Blend to mix well (approximately 1 minute).
  2. Roll into small bite-size balls and place on a baking sheet.
  3. Roughly chop your bar of chocolate into small pieces and place them in a heat-proof bowl. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir the chocolate. Remove the bowl from the heat when you have just a few small unmelted chunks (residual heat will melt the rest).
  4. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the nutty balls or you can dip them into the chocolate using a fork. Place the coated chocolate balls on the baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes to set. Keep in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve.

Tip: You can use a variety of nuts according to your preference!

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