Simple Cooking

These potatoes steam away in the coals while you grill the rest of your meal. If you're not eating them right away, keep them in their foil pouches and rewarm them on the grill or in a 350°F oven before serving.

Cooking corn this way adds a depth of flavor from the husk and keeps the kernels from drying out. Tossed together with zucchini and scallions, these quesadillas make for a super-satisfying vegetarian dinner.

Step aside pancakes; butter and maple syrup is a combination worthy of the ripest grilled summer fruits. Can't find apricots? Try this recipe with peaches or plums for a fantastic ice cream topping.

You could bake this hunk of meat in an oven, but you'd be missing out on all that smoky flavor you'd be getting from the grill.

Bacon-wrapped franks, pinto beans, avocado, and mayo are balanced by pickled jalapeños and salsa in this summertime favorite.

Want crispy and delicious wings fast? Avoid the mess of frying oil and go for a quick oven-roast. Inspired by the version served by chef Andy Ricker at his Brooklyn and Portland Pok Pok restaurants, these wings get doused in a sweet and savory glaze and rolled in a spicy, crunchy topping.

This is a great one for midweek as it takes no more than 20 minutes from slicing the leeks to serving the finished dish, but it is good enough for weekends as well-filling, fresh and very tasty.

Barbecue purists may claim that pulled pork has to be smoked in a pit to be the real thing, and we won't quibble with that. But this recipe, prepared right in your kitchen (on the counter, no less), is one deliciously simple variation on the theme.

This recipe is for all of the busy women out there—supermoms, superworkers, superwomen deserve superfoods. Cook the salmon and the quinoa a day ahead, and throw this salad together in minutes on a weeknight. You could make it vegetarian if you prefer by swapping out the salmon for tofu—the marinade will still work perfectly!

Everything about these sandwiches screams "backyard summer party" to me. Simmering vegetables all day really brings out the individual flavors, and I love how I can get so many good-for-you vitamins into such a delicious package.

I love to celebrate birthdays with the crew and my bandmates. When we're on the road, it's nice to have the band family celebrate. Jimi's birthday falls at the end of October, and I sometimes make this silly chocolate cherry cola cake for him, decorating the top with chocolate cherry cordials or gummy candies. I always let him choose what he's got a hankering for, and it's often this.

We use a slow cooker with a browning option to crisp the chicken skin for this Moroccan-flavored dish. The stew is great on its own but couscous would be an easy and fitting side dish.

These pancakes are lighter than those in your standard stack: slender and slightly crisp on the outside, light and lacy with assertive raspberry flavor. The raspberries are blended into the milk before being added to the batter—a solution to having pockmarks of berry flavor only here and there. You'll want a mile-high pile.

You've been doing it in the car when nobody's looking...but you don't have to hide anymore. It's time to come clean—and this finger-licking-good burger is so much more satisfying than those greasy drive-through hockey pucks. Plus grass-fed beef is leaner and lower in calories than conventional beef. It even contains a unique fat that may help prevent cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Talk about an afternoon delight.

A pandowdy is a homey American dessert of cooked fruit covered with a piecrust or biscuit crust that is often cut up halfway through baking and pushed into the fruit. We leave the crust whole here for a quicker and easier version.

These dumplings have a light texture, thanks to the addition of fresh ricotta cheese. Drain the ricotta in a sieve for two hours before starting the recipe.

Years ago in Veracruz, I bought sweet corn from a guy in a bike cart. Mixed with mayonnaise, lime juice, ground chilies and queso fresco, it was one of the most exciting street foods I'd ever eaten.

When I put these ingredients in my rice cooker, I knew the flavors would complement each other, but I wondered what the dish would look like. It was lovely! The soft, melting goat cheese mingled with the asparagus and creamy eggs. The frittata makes a great light supper or lunch dish; serve it with a fruit salad.

This risotto is dotted with beautiful green spring vegetables and makes a lovely vegetarian lunch or dinner. Delicious with a roasted beet and arugula salad, it's simple to make. There is no arduous stirring; the rice cooker takes care of everything.