That's where recessed floodlights are good. For the counters along the wall, the light should be closer to the wall than the center of the counter so it shines on the work area.

For the eating.sink area, more floods, but set so they aim from center to edges.

pendants also work well - they aren't just trendy, they are functional.

I think Wall mounted articulating swing arm light fixtures that are moveable on each side wall where the hood is . They allow you to focus the light where you need it . Recessed led floods in the other areas .

Recessed MR16 floods will give you enough lumens for work surfaces with 8' ceilings. LED is preferable if the lumens per watt are equivalent or better than a 50w halogen flood. This is the one I know of. 9 watts but not 12v-- 120v. New bulbs are appearing often.

Recessed cans that take A-19 (regular size) bulbs will also work for both general and task lighting. These 100w LED equivalents are better than 100 lumens per watt efficient at less than $7/bulb soft white 10k+ hours life. 1500 lumens 14.5 watts.

And back to the days of recessed panel lights this 2 x 2 flat 40w 5200 lumen dimmable light could go over an island . It meets DLC 4.0 Premium led efficiency standards for commercial installations. $86.50.

I'm doing two wall sconces flanking sink and two flanking cooktop above Windows that shine down.

for cleaning purposes alone, i would do recessed lighting on a dimmer. i would not want to or have the time to keep light fixtures clean, especially around the stove area with all the cooking grease. with the correct placement and amount, there should be no "shadows" on the counters.

I haven't been able to find much lighting advice for kitchen plans that don't include uppers, either. So for kitchens with no uppers, should the placement of recessed lights be directly over the countertop? And since they are a substitute for under-cabinet lighting, these recessed lights should be in addition to a usual lighting plan and placed on its own switch?