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1
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat.
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2
Meanwhile, trim the ends from the chard stems and discard.
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3
Cut off the stems at the base of the leaves and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces.
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4
Place in a small bowl and set aside.
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5
Stack the leaves and coarsely chop; set aside.
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6
Add the chard leaves and garlic to the boiling water, stir to combine, and blanch until the leaves are just wilted and tender, about 2 minutes.
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7
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the leaves and garlic to a food processor fitted with a blade attachment (its OK if some of the blanching water gets into the food processor).
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8
Reserve the pot and water.
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9
Add the miso paste and vinegar to the food processor and season with pepper.
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10
Process until a smooth paste forms, stopping and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 2 minutes total.
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11
Leave the chard pesto in the food processor.
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12
Return the water in the pot to a boil over high heat.
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13
Add the soba noodles, stir to separate them, and cook according to the package directions or until al dente.
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14
Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse under cold water until cool.
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15
With the noodles still in the colander, drizzle with 1 teaspoon of the oil and toss to coat; set aside.
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16
Dry the pot, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, and heat over medium heat until shimmering.
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17
Add the reserved chard stems and carrots, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.
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18
Remove the pot from the heat.
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19
Add the reserved soba noodles and chard pesto to the pot and toss to combine and evenly coat everything with the pesto.
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20
Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
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21
Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the seaweed, if using.
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22
Serve warm or at room temperature.
