So the other day, my friend George requested some food inspiration to beat the January blues. I hear you, buddy. The weeks after the holidays suck. The tree is down, the presents have been opened and it’s time to put your party shoes away and get back to your normal routine. For me, it’s also time to stop having cake, cheese and wine with almost with every meal and get back to my less indulgent habits.

If I’m being completely honest, the idea kinda terrifies me. I love being in a holiday mode, staying up late, almost schedule-free, having all the cake, wine and cheese I want. Luckily, I also love having a routine: waking up early, exercising and eating in moderation. I love it less, but I still love it. So this week, I’m gonna be slowly, lazily, half-assly trying to get back in the grown up game.

Food wise, I’m turning into dishes that are easy and healthy enough to make this transition as painless as possible, while also being super tasty and super pretty to make coming back seem like less of a task and more of a treat.

First off, this couscous super dish: crunchy kale for a little bitter sweetness, gorgeous beets, roasted until fragrant and soft with cumin, paprika and a hint of cinnamon, some salty feta cheese for balance and lots of different seeds sprinkled on top.

January blues, be gone.

INGREDIENTS

4 medium beets, washed and scrubbed

1 cup couscous

1 bunch of kale, washed, very lightly steamed and roughly chopped 

100 grams crumbled feta cheese

2 tablespoons seeds (I used a mixture of pumpkin, sunflower, sesame and linseeds) 

seas salt flakes and ground black pepper to taste

seasoning for beets:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon cumin

1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

1/3 teaspoon cinnamon

a pinch of salt

Turn the oven on to 180C.

Cut the washed beets into small chunks and coat with the olive oil and seasoning.

Place on a baking dish and roast for 25′ or until tender, but still holding a bite.

In the meantime, make the couscous and set aside to cool.

Turn off the oven, take the beets out and toss to coat with any scraps left in the pan and let cool slightly.

While the oven is still hot, roast seeds for about 2′

Toss the kale with some olive oil, sea salt flakes and black pepper.

Place half of the cooked couscous on a plate, making a small hole in the middle; in there, place half of the kale and half of the roasted beets

On top, add feta crumbles and finish off with the mixed seeds.