Toddler shock and awe: broccoli udon noodle stir fry

I picked up a broccoli seedling on a whim at Home Depot. I hadn’t tried growing broccoli before in my garden, so I wasn’t sure if it would grow or die at the hands of a bug buffet (as did my cauliflower – oops).

Last year, I grew rapini (broccoli’s cool Euro-cousin), but I didn’t know when to eat it and it turned into a giant weedy looking plant. A normal old broccoli seemed like a fun idea. Because, growing broccoli is what passes for excitement chez nous lately.

But look at that broccoli! It’s perfect!

The dish of choice for my first head of broccoli: udon noodle stir fry. We LOVE fresh udon noodles – the ones I buy are made of rice and have no other allergens in them. And the kid loves slurping down a big noodle. Win! The downside? He hates green food. (Why?? How did this happen? He ate them when he was little. Gah. It’s all enough to drive a mom crazy.)

The husband made a really simple sauce of tamari, ginger and some brown sugar. I loved the dish and the kid? Well, he ate the noodles and chicken when he had finished making an example of how completely disgusted he was by the presence of broccoli in his dish. And yes, this from the kid who will eat seaweed.