Gail Simmons's Favorite Healthy Recipes

By Gail Simmons

When she’s not eating crazily on the set, the Top Chef star makes healthy dishes at home.

Shakshuka with Fennel and Feta

Quinoa and Brown Rice Bowl with Vegetables and Tahini

Chicken and Barley Stew with Dill and Lemon

Gail Simmons: Talking with My Mouth Full

Courtesy of Hyperion

My new book, Talking with My Mouth Full, is about my life as a professional eater: growing up in a food-obsessed family, working for star chef Daniel Boulud, getting a dream job at Food & Wine—all of it leading to my role as a Top Chef judge and Top Chef Just Desserts host. What I don’t reveal in the book is how I balance all of the extreme eating. (Once, during a Willy Wonka–themed challenge, we literally had to chew the scenery.) At home, I prepare healthy meals—my mother-in-law’s chicken-and-barley stew, say, or a rice bowl with lemony tahini sauce. The recipes here are my favorites.

Gail Simmons’s Cooking Tips

More of Gail Simmons’s Favorite Recipes

Gail Simmons’s Favorite Dishes

Gail Simmons’s Favorite Desserts

Gail Simmons’s Favorite Cocktails

Published March 2012