So, I started my yoga teacher training program on Saturday.
WOAH.
For the next six months, I’ll be spending the majority of my weekends learning everything there is to know about power vinyasa yoga. I’m totally psyched. And totally sore. We kicked things off on Saturday afternoon with a juicy three hour practice (ouch) and, by the end of the day yesterday, I was actually teaching sun salutations! The program I’m doing is inspired by Baron Baptiste and is through California Power Yoga—it’s a 200 hour program where, at the end, I’ll receive my teaching certification by the Yoga Alliance . Going through a yoga teacher training program has been a personal dream of mine for the past five years and I’m just so excited that the time finally came. I can’t believe that in just two months, I’ll be set loose to teach free community yoga classes to anyone and everyone.
That being said, I decided after all of last weekend’s yoga, I needed some vegetables in my life.
And what are green vegetables if they aren’t cooked in bacon grease? After the delightful kale dish the other week, it’s pretty much all I can think about. The bacon adds such a wonderful smoky depth to this dish while the dried cherries give you that blast of sweetness that pairs so nicely with brussels.
It’s all about the smoky/sweet/salty taste trilogy, you know?
Enjoy this dish alone or alongside some chicken or pork chops for dinner. It’s totally that dish you’ll go back for “just one more bite” after you’ve washed and dried all your dishes and are in the middle of running a bubble bath to end the day.
It’s also perfect for growing those yogi muscles. I can’t wait for you guys to try this one!
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Dried Cherries and Israeli Couscous
serves 4 as a side-dish
Ingredients:
16-18 brussels sprouts, very thinly sliced
2 slices bacon, preferably black pepper-rubbed (available at Whole Foods and butcher shops)
1/2 cup Israeli couscous
1/3 cup dried Bing cherries
1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt to taste
Directions:
Bring 3/4 cup water to a boil and add the couscous plus a pinch of sea salt. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until no more water remains. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
Cook the bacon in a cast iron skillet until crispy. Remove bacon and roughly chop. Add thinly sliced brussels sprouts to the hot bacon grease on the stove and saute for about five minutes, until the sprouts turn bright green. Add back in the bacon bits along with the dried cherries and cooked couscous. Toss well and season with salt to taste.
Time:
20 minutes
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{ 85 comments… read them below or add one }
Yum! I haven’t tried Isreali couscous, but it looks so yummy!
This is a really interesting combo of textures and flavors – I’d be pretty happy having a big bowl of this with a bit of protein tossed in for dinner.
I’ve been thinking about getting a 200 hour certification for the last few months! Will you be blogging about your experience? I’m trying to learn as much as I can about yoga teacher training.
Brussels sprouts have been my favorite since I was 5. Can’t wait to try it!
I just posted a recipe for crispy baked brussels sprout leaves yesterday – kinda like kale chips but using brussels sprouts. So good! I love that you paired yours with dried cherries. I will definitely be giving that a try!
Couscous? Genius.
Wow, congrats on your training Jenna!! That’s really exciting and even though 200 hours sounds like a lot, I’m sure it will be totally worth it in the end. This recipe sounds amazing… aside from carrots, Brussels sprouts are one of my favourite veggies and I could eat a whole meal of them!
Yum – love brussel sprouts, especially with bacon! Then again, bacon makes anything better, right?
Congrats on your training! I hope to get certified in a few years – just trying to deepen my practice now and get to a point where I feel comfortable with my skills.
Looks delicious, Jenna. I love brussels, but have never tried them with cherries.
Way to reach for your yoga dreams and make them happen! So exciting!
This looks beautiful! Love the colors in the photos. I have never tried Israeli couscous.
love israeli couscous! So making this
wow – you actually made brussel sprouts look tasty!
Excited for you to go through training! I can totally totally see you as a yoga instructor
It’s also really inspiring to see you go after all your passions– Californian adventure, food-writing, yoga…good for you, girl!
Congrats on the training! I’ve been thinking about it recently, but I’m just not 100% sure if it’s the right investment for me right now. I’m interested to see how it turns out for you though. Is there a specific program that’s just for free community classes/you need to gain additional training to work at a gym or studio?
You know, I’m not sure. Teaching the free community classes is part of my program because we are centered in service and giving back to the community—that would be something to look into though. I know that through my program, we have to have a minimum of 10 hours teaching community service classes to “graduate”.
always looking for new ways to use brussels!! thanks for posting this, Jenna!!
I LOVE Israeli couscous, but tried to serve to my ten year old the other night. It freaked her out because it felt like fish eggs in her mouth. Oh well.
THIS looks like a beautiful dream for me. All packaged up with a little bow.
very cool about the yoga training program! congrats!
Beautiful salad! Love it! Congrats on the yoga training program. I would love to take a class from you:)
Oh my I LOVE the addition of the dried bing cherries!
Baptiste is my ultimate favorite! Can’t wait to hear about your teaching adventures!
Congrats on starting your program! How exciting!
I may have to pass on this dish (not a big fan of brussels sprouts) but I do think I’ll try the Israeli couscous
Delicious! I want to make this ASAP!
I’ve become obsessed with shredding brussels sprouts. It just makes everything look so pretty! This is gorgeous and I’m sure delicious!
This recipe has all of my favorite things. Can’t wait to try it!
I want to eventually do teacher training as well I think….
Funny, I made Brussels sprouts last night, only w prosciutto instead of bacon!
Looks delicious and super simple to make! I just started reading your blog a few weeks ago and from what I’ve seen so far, all of your recipes look so mouth-watering, I just want to eat them right off the computer screen!
I’ve always loved the combo of brussel sprouts & bacon, but adding cherries to the mix?!?! Genius!
Congrats on getting started on your 200 hours…it will change your life! It changed mine back in 2000, and I couldn’t imagine my life without yoga now; both on and off the mat. Even if you don’t teach full time, or teach much, just the personal growth that you will have gained through this will be so profound….and major congrats to you!
And this food looks great….so green and vibrant! Yum!
Namaste, Jenna
Wow! I love yoga, but don’t think I would ever have enough courage to take on going through a rigourous program to be able to teach it. Good for you Jenna!
This looks delicious, by the way!
I’m so excited for your yoga program! I can’t wait to hear about it more.
The salad looks delicious, as always.
bacon+brussels=omgIdie. There is a restaurant near me that does brussel leaves DEEP fried in bacon fat.
yeah. uh huh. just that good.
Congrats on the yoga teacher training!! I just completed a 200 hour yoga training and just received my Yoga Alliance 200 RYT card in the mail!! It will be a journey that will test you but it’s SO wonderful. I’m teaching classes three/week now and will continue my education with an immersion to teach yoga to children. Congratulations on following your heart!! Sharing the gift of yoga is the BEST thing ever. Namaste and blessings
I have a fridge full of brussels sprouts. This looks amazing! Off to get some cherries…
YUM! Love this recipe … and I love the bacon in it even more. Can’t wait to try this one!
Question: How do you think yoga will affect your diet?
You’ve been doing it for a while, but now that you seem more serious and are working towards making it a part of your career, do you think that your diet/views will change? To me, frying things in bacon grease and eating meat seems to go against the yogic philosophy. If anything, when I take yoga practice seriously, it makes me more interested in eating a cleaner, meat-free diet.
I think yoga should be for everyone and is good for everyone, no matter what they eat. :/
I think it’s really to each their own…the yogic philosophy is against judging ANYONE, no matter what they choose to eat. If they feel like it’s best to eat vegan and practice yoga— Great. If they think it’s best to eat bacon grease and practice—Good for them! We (at my studio) accept everyone and don’t judge anyone. I can’t see my diet changing at all…I love food way too much!
Those sprouts look amazing and will probably be on my dinner plate tonight
I’ve been cooking them like that (sliced thin and sauted quick) since you featured that method in another brussel sprout recipe, and I can’t go back to any other way. The other night, on a whim, I tossed them in a skillet with some dried cranberries, sliced almonds and balsamic vinegar…. holy moly. Let’s just say there were no leftovers. Thanks for continuing to inspire my cooking!
Congrats on your training! That is so exciting…I would totally take your class if I was in Cali. Anyways, I’ve been wanting to get back into yoga ever since I took classes at university but of course, I haven’t made it a #1 priority and before I knew it, 4 years flew by!
Sooo…about this dish. 1) I pinned it. 2) I can’t seem to have any luck finding Israeli couscous in my local grocery store. I guess regular will have to do. 3) I will suffer through adding the bacon (gasp, I know!) for the sake of my husband, who loves it dearly.
Have a lovely day!
That dish looks amazing! I must try this.
Congrats on starting your yoga teacher training class. That’s awesome!!
I love how you created a brussels sprouts dish with shreds!! Such inspiration. I like brussels sprouts, but sometimes they can be too bitter, and I only want small bites of ‘em! Cannot wait to try this. I just love your recipes, by the way…
Do you think this recipe would work well with quinoa instead of couscous? The Brussels sprouts, bacon and cherries combo sounds too good to pass up!
That’s what I ended up doing (no couscous in the pantry) – worked great!
Whoa!! This sounds incredible!! Love all the flavors. Congrats on your yoga teaching program! I live for yoga and pilates!
This looks beautiful! I never thought about slicing up brussel sprouts like that. I always just cut them in half and throw them in the oven. I’ll haveta make them like this sometime!
Absolutely gorgeous. Using bacon grease to saute kale or brussels is one of my favorite things! Good luck with the yoga teacher training!
If there is something bacon fat can’t make better, I have yet to find it. And couscous? Brilliant.
I’m excited to hear more about your training. It’s something I’ve thought of maybe doing at some point in my life. I love that it’s a requirement to teach a certain amount of hours as a free class.
This recipe is bananas! I love Brussel Sprouts! I don’t really eat bacon but I might have to pick some up just for this recipe!
Congrats on starting teacher training! I think yoga could benefit everyone, it definitely had some huge impacts on me. Will you be teaching in Santa Rosa? ~L
I don’t have plans yet on where I’ll teach…but I can see myself adding power yoga podcasts to the blog to start out and then go from there.
That would be SO awesome!!!
I love the podcasts from threedogyoga, and you posted a link to the first one I ever heard on here 
This looks lovely, green, and yummy. My kind of dish.
Also, have you considered going to Wanderlust in Tahoe? I went last year and it was seriously the best 3 days of my life; 3 days of taking yoga classes from teachers all over the US. I have never felt so amazing. And Seane Corn taught a class called “Yoga for the broken heart” about grief…there were some amazing experiences and I highly recommend.
I would love to go! Hoping to go this July…keeping my fingers crossed!
congrats on the yoga course, this is something I’ve got on my long term to do list. Hope you love it.
must try israeli couscous too!
Congratulations on pursuing another one of your dreams! That feels so good, I’m sure. I’m pursuing marathon training, not a dream perhaps, but definitely a goal. My next goal is to publish a book of fiction. One can dream, right?
so cool about your 200 hrs training. I almost did it over the summer for every weekend too. Could just not make it happen though.
So how cool… I can make this dish today because I have everything all ready and even the i. couscous is already made from last night. I am one lucky gal and THANKS to you. Will whip it up in a flash and let you know.
What a great salad! I just tried brussels sprouts for the first time recently, and I am looking for more ways to get them in our diet.
Congrats on starting training! I love the service aspect woven into your program-way to go!
Quick question- do you think this dish would work just as well with quinoa? I have everything but the couscous in my pantry/fridge right now!
I think it would be DELICIOUS with quinoa!
I made it last night and it was delish! I was a little worried about the quinoa being too absorbent with the bacon grease (which I think you should eat yoga or not!
) but it worked out great! Thanks for the inspiration!
Need this in my life. And a glass of La Paloma on the side
This recipe looks great! Congrats on diving in toward a dream!!
You can’t go wrong with brussel sprouts, in any way! Love the combination of flavors
i keep telling myself “i NEED to make brussels sprouts”….and now, I know exactly what recipe I will use when i make them
Thanks!
Yoga is so hard for me, which is one reason why I should embrace it and conquer it!! I love what you’ve done with these Brussels sprouts. It’s definitely different than I’ve ever made them, and they sound fantastic!
This looks amazing. Every time I see Brussels sprouts I think about how you chop them into thin slices. I really have to make this recipe. Yummy!
Ever venture over to Ubuntu in Napa? Top notch yoga.
I’m going to make this with quinoa & report back- looks fantastic!
The yoga sounds really exciting – congratulations on getting started with your dream!
And thanks for reminding me about Israeli cous cous. This recipe looks delicious!
~Emily~
You’re killin’ me, smalls! …with these amazing Brussels sprouts recipes! Thank you! I just made and wrote about your caramelized sprouts, which were divine. From one sprouts lover to another
The yoga teaching training program sounds awesome!!! Can’t wait to hear more about your experiences with it
This looks seriously good. Love the addition of bacon to balance out the healthy.
Looks great! I could use some brussel sprouts in my life about now
I made this for dinner last night, except we didn’t have any cherries, so I drizzled a balsamic reduction on top for the sweetness. It was awesome! Thanks for the great recipe and good luck with your yoga training.
My boyfriend and I made this tonight but substituted craisins for the cherries (they were too expensive!) and it was a-may-zing! GREAT recipe!
This looks so good! I wanted to let you know that I featured this in my “What I Bookmarked This Week” post today. Stop by and see!
Just made this for dinner but used craisins and 4 pieces of bacon…it was delicious!
Just wanted to let you know that I made this for dinner last night and it’s officially one of my husband’s and my favorite new dishes. AMAZING! I also did 4 slices of the peppered bacon instead of 2
I just made this and OMG!! it is delicious! I did make a few substitutions for some of the ingredients I didn’t have (cranberries for cherries and regular bacon for pepper) and I added a touch of minced garlic — it is really a fantastic combination! I could eat the entire dish myself in one sitting. Not very healthy then is it??? Thank you so much for sharing! This will be eaten often in my house
Husband’s first time having brussel sprouts, at age 46! Made last night with balsamic chicken, what a nice combo. I added a handful of toasted almonds over the top, which gave it a nice little crunch. I think I’ll be using the leftover for a “salad” which will include leftover chicken and maybe avocado!
As always, YUM.
I made this tonight and it was fantastic! My husband, who has never ever liked brussels sprouts before, even liked it and said he wouldn’t change a thing! I figured he couldn’t say no to the bacon and with the brussels sprouts all chopped up they really don’t look intimidating. And we both love Israeli couscous. Great texture. Thanks for another tasty recipe Jenna!
I made this for dinner and tonight and it was amazingly good for being so simple. I added a few fresh sage leaves thinly sliced when I added the chopped bacon back in and it went really well with the sweetness of the dried cherries! I also subbed israeli cous cous with barley. Can’t wait for leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
So glad y’all liked it!
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