When it's too hot to cook, try serving a big summery salad for your main meal. Not just a simple garden salad, but a satisfying bowl layered with crisp veggies, grains or legumes, and fresh herbs. The combination is fresh, filling and light -- guaranteed to hit the spot on a warm day.

This salad bowl includes the classic summer veggie trio of sweet corn, tomato and avocado -- tumbled together with protein-rich quinoa and mounded over a bed of kale. As always, you can tweak the ingredients to your taste. Feel free to substitute another grain for the quinoa, such as wild rice or bulgur. As for the kale, a quick rub of the hardy leaves with oil and salt helps to soften them and coax out their flavor. Alternatively, choose another more tender green, such as arugula or spinach, and skip the rubbing step.

Tomato, Corn and Quinoa Bowl With Kale and Avocado

Prep time: 15 minutes

Total time: 15 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Dressing:

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 small garlic clove

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Dash of hot sauce, such as Tabasco

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:

1 small bunch Tuscan/lacinato kale, ribs removed, torn into bite-size pieces

Extra-virgin olive oil to soften kale

Salt to taste

3 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced

2 ears of corn, husked, kernels cut from the cobs

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup tricolor or red quinoa, cooked and cooled

1 small handful Italian parsley leaves, chopped, about 1/2 cup

1 small handful cilantro leaves, chopped, about 1/2 cup

1 ripe but firm avocado, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Whisk the lime juice, vinegar, garlic, mustard, honey, salt, black pepper and Tabasco in a small bowl. Add the oil in a steady stream, whisking constantly to emulsify.

Place the kale in a large bowl. Drizzle 1 to 2 teaspoons oil over the leaves and season with a generous pinch of salt. Rub the leaves until thoroughly coated (this will help to soften them).

Combine the scallions, corn, peppers, tomatoes, quinoa, parsley and cilantro in a separate bowl. Pour about 1/4 cup of the dressing over the salad and gently stir to combine. Mound the salad over the kale. (Or divide between individual serving bowls.) Top with the avocado and drizzle with additional dressing to taste. Serve immediately.

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Grilled ribs are the perfect way to kick off summer and, more important, celebrate Father's Day. There are many ways to grill ribs, but my favorite method is to generously rub them with a dry spice, and then simply grill them low and slow until the meat is tender with a crispy crust. I may baste them with a sauce in the final moments of grilling for a shiny shellac, but I usually leave them as they are. The succulent meat provides enough moistness without softening the crispy coating. For sauce aficionados, I'll pass a bowl at the table for brushing and dipping.

When ribs are prepared this simply, the key to flavor perfection lies in the rub. A good rib rub should have a robust balance of sweet, salt and heat that will coat and permeate the meat as it slowly cooks. While the amount of heat (cayenne) may be adjusted to your taste, there should be a generous amount of salt, sugar and flavorful spices, such as cumin, chili powder and paprika.

This method is also ridiculously easy. All you need is time for the slow cooking. Start cooking the ribs early in the afternoon; place them over indirect low heat on the grill or pop them into the oven and forget about them for 3 hours. Thirty minutes before serving, finish the ribs on the grill, cooking them over direct heat just long enough for them to caramelize and crisp.

Dry Spice-Rubbed Baby Back Pork Ribs

Prep time: 15 minutes

Total time: 3 1/2 hours

Yield: 6 servings

For the rub:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

3 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon cayenne (or to taste)

3 racks baby back pork ribs

Prepare the grill for indirect cooking over low heat (or preheat the oven to 200 degrees).

Combine all the dry rub ingredients together in a bowl and mix well.

Pat the ribs dry with a paper towel. Arrange in one layer on rimmed baking sheets. Rub the spices all over the ribs on both sides, coating well.

Transfer to the grill; grill over indirect low heat, with the lid closed, for 3 hours, turning once or twice. (If cooking in the oven, transfer the ribs to the oven and cook for 3 hours, turning once or twice.)

To finish the ribs, grill the ribs over direct medium heat, with the lid closed, until the meat darkens and crisps, about 10 minutes, turning as needed. (If using a sauce: Baste the ribs with your favorite sauce a few minutes before removing them from the grill. Serve with additional sauce on the side.)

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Now that Memorial Day, the official gateway to summer, has passed, we can look ahead to the promise of long sunny days spent at the beach. For me, this vision is not complete without a bowl of clam chowder. Blame it on my New England roots, but slurping down a bowl of steaming creamy chowder is right up there with building sandcastles and slathering on sunscreen in the summertime; the chowder is best consumed near a beach or perched at a picnic table in a fishing harbor, accompanied by buckets of steamed clams and butter-slathered corn-on-the-cob.

For a number of years, I lived far from my East Coast roots, and when summer rolled around, I had access to a beach but not clam chowder. The only way I could cure my craving was to learn to make it myself.

Chowder (or "chowdah," as we say in New England) is actually quite easy to make. It's a simple concoction of milk, cream, potatoes and clams. The key is to create a smoky base to the soup with bacon and to add a little thickness with a roux, which is simply flour mixed into the fat from the bacon. I take a few liberties with the vegetables. Potatoes and onion are standard, but I often add leeks, celery root or even spinach to the mix. When you are selecting clams, be sure to choose the smallest ones you can get your hands on, such as littlenecks, middlenecks or Manila clams.

Clam Chowder

Prep time: 50 minutes

Total time: 50 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

2 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium leek, white part only, rinsed well and thinly sliced

1 small yellow onion, chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups water or chicken stock, or more as needed

1/2 pound small fingerling potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1/2 small celery root, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch cubes, about 1 cup

3 sprigs fresh thyme, plus extra for garnish

1 bay leaf

1 cup whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

12 Manila or middleneck clams, or 24 littleneck clams

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Fry the bacon in the oil in a large pot over medium heat until the fat is nearly rendered, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the leek and onion and saute until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour into the pot, and cook until very lightly colored, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the water or stock, stirring to blend the flour. Add the potatoes, celery root, and enough stock or water to cover the vegetables. Add the thyme and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook until the potatoes and celery root are tender, about 20 minutes.

Add the milk, cream and clams, making sure the clams are submerged. If not, add a little more milk. Partially cover the pot and simmer over medium heat until the clams open, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes. Discard any unopened clams. Add the salt and pepper and taste for seasoning. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh thyme. Serve immediately.

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