Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Dried Cherries and Israeli Couscous

Today's post is dedicated to the man who makes me smile each and every day. You're my bacon - you make everything better. Happy Birthday, Monkey Scientist.



You might notice that this recipe is not tagged as "healthy".  Sure, it has brussels sprouts.  Israeli couscous is pretty healthy.  Dried cherries are a great snack.  But when we finished eating these, the Monkey Scientist turned to me and asked where the grease went from frying up the bacon and I had to turn down and look at my belly.  You ate it, dear.



To be fair, it's only 2 slices of bacon.  If you wanted, you could even drain some of the bacon fat off.  I've even heard of a coworker who used oil instead of bacon grease.  But if you're eating brussels sprouts, don't you deserve to have them taste like bacon?  Isn't it worth an extra Stroga class?



I tried to keep the meal under control by serving it up with some trout that had barely any olive oil on it but was seasoned well with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Since I was up at Whole Foods to get the bacon, I bought my fish there as well so it was additive free.  The whole meal came together really quickly, which was very much appreciated since we've been pretty busy lately.



The taste was really outstanding.  Shredded brussels sprouts, as you know, are one of my favorite veggies and the Israeli couscous went really well mixed in.  I love Israeli couscous - the texture is one of my favorite things.  The saltiness of the bacon combined with the sweetness from the cherries was absolute perfection.



Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Dried Cherries and Israeli Couscous
from eat, live, run

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 cherries
1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt to taste

Directions:
1. 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.
2. Cook the bacon in a cast iron skillet until crispy. Remove bacon and roughly chop.
3. 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.
4. Add back in the bacon bits along with the dried cherries and cooked couscous. Toss well and season with salt to taste.

Shredded Sprouts Salad

I have always been terrified of brussels sprouts.  They just don't sound good, and until recently they've only been featured as a weird ingredient on the menu that no one really orders, like liver and onions.  But these little veggies, they've made a comeback!  And with good reason, they're actually delicious!



My mom makes a brussels sprouts recipe where she keeps them whole and then cooks them in bacon fat.  I much prefer the shredded version.  When it's whole, the outside gets cooked and caramelizes but the inside often remains a bit raw.  Raw brussels sprouts have a very strong cabbage flavor, which is probably the flavor that gave these babies a bad rep in the first place.  So step 1 in making them delicious - shred your sprouts.



Of course, everything tastes better with bacon.  Step 2 is to fry them up in bacon fat.  Sprinkle back in the crumbled bacon.  You won't be sorry.  Even 1 piece of bacon in the whole batch goes a long way.  If you don't eat pork, use turkey bacon and fry them in butter or oil, still does the trick.



Step 3 is balsamic vinegar.  It gives the perfect bit of acidity while adding some sweetness to the sprouts. Sprouts need balsamic.  They were meant to be together.

Finally, cheese.  Like bacon, everything tastes better with cheese.  Asiago is fantastic because its a little salty and it's plenty hard to grate in easily.  I'd like to say you can never have enough cheese, but a little goes a long way here.



This recipe is my favorite vegetable side dish, maybe ever.  I can gobble up a whole batch on my own.  I almost never make a dish more than once (I love trying new things) but I've made this probably 5 times now and I'm dreaming about making it again tonight.  Even the Monkey Scientist, who claims to hate brussels sprouts, loved this dish.  Leave it to Jessica, a self-proclaimed veggie hater, to bring me the best thing to happen to brussels sprouts since...well ever.  Now go home and make these, you won't regret it!



Shredded Sprouts Salad
from How Sweet Eats

Ingredients
2 cups whole brussels sprouts
1/2 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon butter or bacon fat
1 slice bacon, fried and crumbed
1/2 ounce grated asiago cheese

Instructions
1. Cutting the stems off of the brussels sprouts.
2. Add sprouts to a food processor and pulse until sprouts are tiny shreds. Do it manually so you can control the size of the shreds. You want some larger pieces and you don’t want them to be crumbs!
3. Melt butter or heat up bacon fat in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and shredded sprouts, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute for about 5-7 minutes, or until sprouts are browning. Add vinegar, salt, and pepper while stirring and make sure sprouts are all coated. Saute for another 1-2 minutes. Remove and plate.
4. Top with crumbled bacon and a small sprinkling of asiago cheese. Devour!