the recipe calls for white asparagus can I use green asparagus instead?

Yes, but the white is usually much thicker than the smaller green spears, so you may need more green to get the quantity the recipe calls for.

I would. White asparagus is the same as green minus the chlorophyll. White is a little milder, but it's always given me the creeps. They mound dirt up around it so the sunlight can't reach it.