Gail Simmons Teases ‘Top Chef’ Season 17: ‘I Will Be Back’

Gail Simmons isn’t going anywhere! Despite being MIA from Top Chef season 16 due to the birth of her son Kole, now 11 months, the reality show judge exclusively tells Us Weekly that she will most definitely be a large part of season 17 of the Bravo hit.

“I will be back, full on as usual,” the 42-year-old says. “Unfortunately, they decided to shoot [season 16] three days before I had a child so there was nothing I could do about [missing most of it], but I did really love how they sort of integrated my pregnancy into pieces of last season.”

Though Simmons tells Us that Top Chef’s upcoming season is “just at the beginning of production stages right now,” she does reveal that the cast, which includes host Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio and Graham Elliot are “all excited to get back on the road together.”

In the meantime, the Recipe to Riches alum has partnered with Hood Cottage Cheese and created some tasty recipes using the oft-overlooked food. “For me, the best thing about cottage cheese is its versatility, I really love that there’s so many ways to use it in the kitchen,” Simmons explains, noting she loves it as a dip or snack and also uses in place of other ingredients, such as ricotta or yogurt. As she puts it: “The great thing about cottage cheese is you can do so many different things with it and you don’t have to be restricted by just eating it alone.”

One recipe the cookbook author crafted – a warm Southwest quinoa Bowl with creamy herb dressing – uses the dairy product as the base for a ranch-style dressing. The dish also includes fresh vegetables, chickpeas and more. “I’m really big on texture in my food. Texture is a part of what makes things delicious and interesting and adds so much to the experience,” Simmons tells Us of the dish. “I think this quinoa bowl gives you all of those things. It’s all about the fresh ingredients that are the base of the bowl so that simple quinoa can serve as great texture, along with the piling on of fresh veggies and then a really savory, delicious dressing that I make with the Hood Cottage Cheese with Cracked Pepper.”

Adds the culinary expert: “Every single bite of the bowl is covered in all of that great flavor and texture.”

Intrigued? Check out the recipe below!

Gail Simmons’ Warm Southwest Quinoa Bowls with Creamy Herb Dressing

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• Kosher salt
• 3 cups water, divided
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 cup multicolored quinoa
• 3 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds), rinsed and pat dry
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Hood Country Style Cottage Cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped and divided
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsps lemon juice
• 2 tbsps chopped fresh parsley, plus more for serving
• 2 tbsps chopped fresh dill, plus more for serving
• 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into thin strips
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, washed and drained
• 2 cups packed arugula

INSTRUCTIONS:

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