OK, we are not allowed to deliver beer with this meal, so it really is "soda-can chicken." Feel free to use beer if you got it, but soda works deliciously as well. This is a great low-maintenance recipe: it takes awhile to cook, but needs little to no tending. Paired with a blackened corn salad with Pecorino and avocado dressing, this is a low fuss meal that is great for either grilling or your oven.

A properly made Cubano is something of an art form. Two different kinds of pork, each with it’s own sauce, stacked on a sandwich with tangy cheese, mustard, bread and butter pickles, and grilled to melty perfection. This shortcut version isn’t short of flavor, and comes with a side of plantains and lime-marinated cabbage.

This summery dish is perfect for hot days or picnics, as every component of this dinner can be served cold. Jumbo lump crabmeat is folded with a creamy dressing with kick and topped on a ripe avocado. The side dish of pea and dill pasta salad can even be combined with the crab mixture to make an extra kid-friendly dish.

This is a happy, happy soup. Roasting the vegetables brings out their natural sweetness, and a touch of white miso and curry powder add depth and complexity. Garbanzo beans are puréed into the soup for protein and little corn dumplings are packed with corn kernels and fresh herbs for little bites of goodness.

This recipe, from the Serious Eats website, is a stunning dinner. Layers of flavor come together in symphony: breaded and fried eggplant, roasted poblanos, refried beans, chipotle pepper and pickled red onions, lettuce, cilantro and avocado. For a dinner like this, a simple radish salad is the perfect non-compete.

Simple. Fast. Healthy. Sicilian spaghetti uses end-of-summer bounty like delicious grape tomatoes, hearty eggplant, and fresh basil. A quick sauté, to bring out all the flavor, and toss with olive oil and spaghetti.