Here is the area. Due to numerous architectural challenges, the only way to expand the kitchen was to go into the adjacent breakfast room with a different ceiling line.

I think the space would benefit from indirect lighting, like from track lighting mounted where the ceiling drops down but pointed up toward the sloped part of the ceiling. If you don't want the look of track lights you could build a soffit to conceal the lights. Here's an example, although I'm thinking something that projects light further away from the wall--more ambient lighting, less architectural lighting. This would be in addition to pendants or other task lighting.

I am bouncing the brightest lighting we could find onto the ceiling from the top of the cabinet. There is also a small wall just off the photo to the right for an uplight sconce. I was planning on a monorail with pendants over the peninsula and directional lighting I could bounce of the ceiling (you can swag a transformer over), but I can't really center 3 pendants over the peninsula because of the cabinet door clearance. Here's a picture of what I was planning, but now backing away from:

Here is a link that might be useful: [offset monorail system[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/klimpt-inspired-kitchen-contemporary-kitchen-portland-phvw-vp~131681)

I think you were on track (hehe) with the monorail idea. When I saw the photo of your space, I immediately thought of farmgirlinky's kitchen lighting. No dropped pendants, though...too complicated. Don't want to muddle up all those design elements with something else your eye is forced to take note of.

Here is a link that might be useful: farmgirlinky's awesome kitchen

I actually really like the offset monorail idea. It lets you do a mix of indirect and task lighting in the same fixture, which I think would be ideal for your space.

Wow! farmgirlinky's kitchen is truly awesome. And nixing the dropped pendants would make the monorail work, because I could hang the monorail above the problem cabinet and have nothing hanging down. It seems a little boring, but I see your point that with all the other design elements, it might be a plus to have boring lighting. Do you see bronze or brushed nickel monorail? I'm thinking of the brushed nickel. I don't feel it has to "match" the faucet, pulls, etc.

Mama, my vote would be for the brushed nickel! Kind of a utilitarian-minimal. Just gets the lighting job done in a simple, tasteful way that doesn't compete for attention.