By David Tanis, The New York Times In January after all the holiday gluttony (or even slightly sooner), I always want to pivot to something lighter. I often look to the eastern Mediterranean for inspiration, counting on lots of bright flavors featuring spices, fresh herbs, lemon and olive oil. I craved a scarlet-red beet salad, modeled on one I tasted in Istanbul a few years ago, and a large plate of herb-flecked rice — the kind you might find in Turkish stuffed grape leaves.