syn·er·gy /ˈsinərjē/
noun
the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.
Last night's dinner was pure synergy. I suppose that can be said of any good dish. Recipes, by design, create synergy amongst various ingredients, so that the combination of flavors elevates the overall deliciousness you experience at meal time.
But, last night's dinner was not only about the interaction of ingredients. It was a complete cooperation of several different recipes that wouldn't typically share a plate. It was a blend of healthy nutrients, smart recipe directives from expert cooks and my own free-flowing creativity.
Dinner would have been great with any one of these recipes, but the synergy between them produced something greater than the sum of its parts. And, it generated deep thought:
We are synergy.
We are the interaction and cooperation of the organizations (families/jobs/communities), substances (food/drink), and other agents (thoughts/fears/emotions/beliefs) in our lives. We are made up of everything we experience, and we have the potential put out a combined effect/energy greater than the sum of the separate effects of each of those experiences.
My food, my writing, my yoga, my workouts... everything I create or put out is an expression of synergy. In fact, the very translation of yoga - yo·ga /ˈyōɡə/ Sanskrit, literally ‘union.’ - is synergy. Yoga teaches us how to find synergy between body and breath, intentions and actions... between the layers of ourselves. When we have that kind of synergy at play internally, our interaction and cooperation with others surges.
Last Night's Dinner
Oh She Glows Chickpea Pancakes \ I added a big, green handful of chopped fennel fronds, fresh rosemary and thyme to the batter, and I skipped the recipe's serving suggestion in favor of the goodies below.
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What's On-Hand Vegetable Sauté \ To a splash of olive oil in a sauté pan, I added thin slices of yellow onion and half-moons of fennel. Those things cooked over medium heat until just tender and the flavor of the fennel softened. Then I stirred in a small roasted red pepper and some sun dried-marinated tomatoes (from the olive bar at Buehler's Milltown - I also like to find unique ingredients for my recipes. More on this in another post.) Just before serving, I swirled in a bunch of Red Russian kale that was stemmed and chopped.
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Minimalist Baker Vegan Parmesan \ I made this for a different recipe last week and had some left over. At the time, I didn't have any cashews, so I used almonds that I soaked in almond milk for an hour. This certainly changes the flavor, but it's still delicious! And, it cooperates so nicely with the other recipes here.
Thank you to Oh She Glows and Minimalist Baker for elevating Last Night's Dinner!