Published: August 17, 2009 07:15 am      

Everyday Cook: The doctor is in the kitchen

When Dan Sarya whips up one of his favorite recipes, not only is it likely to taste good, but it just might be healthy for your teeth.

The Traverse City orthodontist loves to cook. He's also discovered the benefits of an ingredient called Xylitol that he uses in place of sugar in most recipes that call for it.

Xylitol is an all-natural sweetener found in many fruits and vegetables that is generally sold in health food stores. Sarya and wife Julie keep a bag on the kitchen counter and substitute it for sugar in just about everything except items that require yeast. It's not compatible with yeast.

"Everybody should be using it, I swear," said Julie. "We put it on the kids' cereal -- everything."

Not that most of the recipes Dan Sarya uses call for sugar. He's the dinner guy, cooking meals most nights if he doesn't have to work late or have a meeting in connection with his duties as president of the Monday noon Kiwanis Club of Traverse City. Julie bakes and does desserts.

Sarya grew up in a family of four boys and two girls. He and his siblings often cooked dinner, with the boys taking charge.

"The boys always got the kitchen," he said. "We kind of kicked our sisters out."

In college, Sarya continued to develop his culinary skills.

"I used to cook all the time," he said. "I've always liked cooking as a hobby and an outlet.

"My nickname in college was 'Domestic Dan.'"

Sarya watches the Food Network and picks up techniques there. Typically, he modifies recipes to suit his family's tastes.

"Our one thing is that we are trying to teach our kids how things are grown, and how things are made," said Sarya.

The family's freezer is full of meats courtesy of patients and 4-H kids, from whom he prefers to buy.

"I support those who support me," he said.

The Saryas made their own maple syrup this year for the first time, getting the idea from one of his patients. The other night, he was using some of the syrup to make glazed carrots with dill as a side dish for his son's birthday dinner. The family also does a ham on special occasions, glazing it with syrup, baking it at 170 degrees for 12 hours, then slicing, drizzling it with more syrup and storing it in a crockpot to keep warm until serving.

"It turns out sweet and tender," Sarya said. "The food channel always talked about doing it 'low and slow.'"

The entree for that birthday dinner was a 61/2-lb. roasting chicken. Using a technique he saw on the Food Network, Sarya butterflied the chicken, removing the backbone and rubbing the bird with a mix of garlic, Lawry's Seasoned Salt and pepper. He grilled it for about 20 minutes on the open side before removing the legs and continuing to cook it all on the other side for another 15 to 20 minutes. To go with that, he was boiling new potatoes and finishing them with melted onion butter.

Another family and entertaining favorite is grilled pizza. The Saryas purchase dough from an area pizzeria, roll it out and spread it with a little olive oil. They grill each dough circle until the first side is done, turn it over and cover it with an assortment of toppings.

Of Finnish descent, Sarya spent some time living in Finland and cooks from a Finnish cookbook. One of his favorites there is a chilled Cucumber Salad.

Sarya also makes a few favorites from the files of his mother-in-law, Linda Weeks, including a crunchy cole slaw and sticky buns that his friends always ask for.

"Cooking can be fun," he said. "It's an outlet for me."

Cucumber Salad

4 medium cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced

1 T. chopped fresh or dried dill

1/2 c. white wine vinegar

1/2 c. water

3 T. sugar

1 t. salt

2 T. salad oil

Arrange cucumber slices in a glass bowl and sprinkle with the dill. Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and oil and pour over slices. Chill. Makes about 6 servings. (Note: Prepare two hours ahead of time.)

-- The Finnish Cookbook

Linda Weeks' Crunchy Cole Slaw

1/4 c. light mayonnaise

1/4 c. sour cream

1/2 t. Dijon mustard

3 c. finely chopped cabbage

2 c. finely sliced green onions

1 T. cider vinegar

2 t. sugar or Xylitol

1/4 t. celery seed

1/4 t. salt and pepper

1 c. grated carrots

In large bowl, stir mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, mustard and seasonings. Add vegetables. Stir to coat well.

Linda Weeks' Monkey Bread

10 frozen dinner rolls

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. butter

1 t. cinnamon

Optional: pecans

Defrost the rolls for two to four hours. Melt together the brown sugar, butte rand cinnamon. Dip each piece of dough in this mixture.

Grease bundt pan with butter. Place pecans in bottom of pan, if using. Place each coated dough piece into pan and cover with leftover brown sugar mixture. Place overnight, covered, in cold oven.

In morning, uncover and bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees. Let stand 10 minutes and turn over onto serving plate.

Kathy Gibbons can at gibbonskath@yahoo.com. For more Everyday Cook columns, log on to record-eagle.com/everydaycook.