This Presto Pasta Night dish meets two of my healthier cooking goals — whole grains added by using buckwheat soba rather than a standard white pasta, and added greens by incorporating fresh chard. The sauce was inspired by a Coconut Shrimp Soup recipe from Martha’s Everyday Food.

Recipe: Coconut Shrimp Soba
adapted from Everyday Food

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. shrimp, peeled (thawed, if frozen)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 garlic scape*, chopped (optional)
• 1 T fresh ginger, grated
• 1 small bunch chard*
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk
• 1 t corn starch
• 2 green onions*, sliced
• 4-5 leaves basil*
• juice of 1 lime
• red pepper flakes or chili garlic sauce
• soba noodles

Instructions: Cook soba according to package instructions. While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, scape and ginger and cook 1 minute. Add chard, saute 2 minutes. Add coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add shrimp and cook 1 minute (if pre-cooked, 4 minutes if uncooked). Stir in lime juice, basil and green onions and remove from heat. Add red pepper/chili sauce to taste and toss with cooked soba noodles. (I dish up the toddler’s first, then add the peppers.)

Notes: Pre-cooked and peeled frozen shrimp is a handy freezer staple for quick weeknight meals. I bought Florida Key West Pink Shrimp this time, which prompted a mock complaint from the husband that it wasn’t local enough. Well, local is relative when buying seafood at Whole Foods … or most grocery stores. Buying seafood sustainably is a difficult endeavor, so when in doubt I often settle for buying American.

* Local ingredients from our Potomac Vegetable Farms CSA.

Submitted to Presto Pasta Nights, created by Once Upon A Feast and hosted this week by Scientist in the Kitchen.

Don’t Forget: Comment to help farmers, and enter to win!