Earth day dishes
By Tresa Erickson

Earth Day is April 22, and you and your family have a variety of activities planned for the day from helping clean up a local park to taking boxes of stuff at home to a recycler. After your hard day's work, you will all be ready to sit down to a good meal. Don't let your Earth Day efforts stop in the kitchen. Continue them by making a meal using the safest produce you can find.

Of all the produce available in grocery stores and farmer's markets, organic is the safest. Grown without the use of pesticides, it does cost more than traditional produce but is safer for consumers. However, not everyone has access to or can afford organic produce. If you fall into this category, don't despair. You can select and use produce that is less likely to contain pesticide residue, like asparagus, avocados, bananas, broccoli, cabbage, frozen peas and sweet corn, kiwi, mangos, papayas, pineapples and onions. Here are a few recipes using some of that produce that you might want to try.
Asparagus, Chicken and
Penne Pasta
1 16-oz. pkg. penne pasta
2 T. olive oil, divided
3/4 lb. skinless, boneless
chicken breasts, cut into bitesize
pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz. asparagus, trimmed
and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 t. red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and set aside. Heat 1 T. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté chicken until firm and lightly brown. Remove from pan and add remaining olive oil to skillet. Cook garlic, asparagus and red pepper flakes in oil until asparagus is tender. Stir in chicken and cook 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Toss pasta with chicken and asparagus mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve warm.
Broccoli Salad
2 heads broccoli, chopped
1-1/2 c. Cheddar cheese,
shredded
8 slices bacon, cooked and
crumbled
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/8 c. sugar
2 t. black pepper
1 t. salt
2/3 c. mayonnaise
1 t. lemon juice

Combine broccoli, cheese, bacon and onion in a large bowl and set aside. Whisk together red wine vinegar, sugar, pepper, salt, mayonnaise and lemon juice to make dressing. Add dressing to salad. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Pineapple Mango Pie
4-1/2 c. mangos, peeled and
sliced
1 8-oz. can crushed pineapple,
drained
1-1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
2 T. apple juice
5 T. tapioca
1 T. butter, softened
9-inch double pie shell

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix mangos, pineapple, sugars, apple juice and tapioca. Let stand in a bowl for 20 minutes. Pour into unbaked pie shell and dot with butter. Cover with top crust, seal edges and cut slits in top. Bake 1 hour, or until golden brown. Let pie cool and serve at room temperature.

Serving an earth-friendly meal is fairly easy. Try these or any recipes using produce that has very little or no pesticide residue.