I've never thought of salad as feminine or masculine.
Salad isn't quiche-remember how real men don't eat quiche? Or did they eat quiche?
That was a long time ago. I can understand that a salad such as a pretty Bibb lettuce salad tossed with tiny mandarin oranges, sprinkled with lightly toasted almonds might be considered a bit more feminine then say, a taco salad loaded with meat.
Does that make a Caesar salad, neutral territory?
But a macho salad recipe? I didn't name this beast.
I ate this eons ago at a restaurant that I think is now nonexistent.
Yes, I ordered the macho salad but there were no machos that came with it.
Just salad. I shouldn't say that. This is a macho salad recipe that even a macho would eat.
And whether you are or you aren't, a macho that is, this salad is, and it is good.
Let's get something straight here. I'm not a macho lover.
But I think we've already figured out that I am a Macho Salad lover.
So just who is a macho? We all know the song, "Macho Man" by the Village People, right? (True confession... for a long time I though they were saying Nacho Man and I love those.)
But check out this description from the urban free dictionary for the word macho:
"Male who cannot "lose face" in front of his mates or women. Most macho men have the emotional range of a teaspoon and have enough empathy to fill the ink tube in a pen."
Enough said, right?
But back to salad..I don't know how I remembered this salad, but it's been planted in my mind for awhile.
Macho Salad
Maybe it's the sweet cornbread croutons that offset the tanginess of the dressing.
Or perhaps the dates off set the goat cheese.
And the roasted chicken helps tie everything together.
Or is that the avocado that does that?
Perhaps it is the creaminess of the cheese, mixed with the crunchiness of the cornbread and the sweetness of the dates, that contrast so well with the saltiness of the chicken.
(Rotisserie Chicken works just fine in this.)
And you must know that this apple cider mustard vinaigretter would taste good on any salad-even one of the feminine variety.
My Manservant loves this salad and seeing how it is now about 60 degrees in Denver, even though the mountains are still being pounded by snow, last night was perfect for a salad.
A manly salad. And I only say manly, because it was devoured by my man.
I have yet to figure out why if I serve a salad with a meal, he saves it until the end and quite often doesn't eat it.
Whereas, if I serve it as a main course, he loves it! Well, thank goodness for this!
I think even this macho man would eat this salad.
And if he didn't I could care less about this "macho man!"
Or perhaps this macho in training.
Speaking of which, last night I skipped watching the Olympics to watch the Beatles.
Ohhhh. Now that was a good show. Did you see it?
And I ate this Macho salad before I sat down to watch TV. And that is all I have to say about salad.
Now I'm going to get my hair colored, because if there is such a thing as a Macho woman, well, that's not me!
More Great Salads
Goi Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Salad)
Recipe
Macho Salad... I Mean, Really?
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 Servings 1x
- Category: Salads
- Cuisine: American
Description
Macho salad is so good. With it creamy cheese, crunchy cornbread croutons, avocado and sweet dates-well, it's hard to go wrong with this macho salad recipe!
Ingredients
Dressing:
1 t spicy brown mustard
1 large garlic clove, pressed or minced
1 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 ½ t brown sugar
¼ t salt
¼ t black pepper
½ t Italian seasoning
⅓ c olive oil
Salad:
4 x 6" square of cornbread cut into big cubes (Bake these is a 300 degree oven after tossing with 1 T olive oil for 20 minutes until they are dry and crouton-like)
3 ½ c of salad greens - I used spinach and arugula
1 c shredded roast chicken (I used deli chicken)
2 t chopped Dates or golden raisins
10 baby tomatoes quartered
½ avocado cubed
½ c sliced almonds
2 oz goat or feta cheese, crumbled
2 chopped green onions
⅓ c drained corn or fresh roasted if you have it
Instructions
Combine all dressing ingredients except oil in a large mixing cup or bowl. Mix well and then slowly drizzle in the olive oil using a mini whisk to emulsify the dressing. (I used all the dressing on the salad but you may like more or less.)
Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with dressing. Dive in and sing Macho Man!
Notes
Feel free to use this dressing on other salads. It is so good!
Anonymous says
I used to work at Bandera, where this originated and is served. The name came about from a sick primate that one of the owners' friends worked with. The only thing the primate would eat was this salad, and his name happened to be Macho. Hence... This was the story told to employees, at least. It had nothing to do with gender. JMR
CQUEK says
Hmmmmm...you have me waiting
Abbe Odenwalder says
Just macho enough, Amanda!
Denise Browning@From Brazil To You says
Abbe: You are so funny! Words in my mother language has gender. Salad (salada) is feminine. 🙂 I am guessing that this salad was named macho because it is rustic, robust -- yet quite delish. 🙂
sprinklesandsauce says
your post made me sing the macho man song! haha! lovely salad!
Laura Dembowski says
I didn't watch The Beatles. I'm not a big fan and I'm way too into the Olympics. I love unique salads, but my Dad likes any kind of salad. He won't eat dinner without one in fact.
shannon weber says
HA! i actually often think of salads as masculine or feminine, and that's largely due to Mr. Table's input, i think. salad with fruit? typically feminine, although dried fruit can go either way. Salads with meat or strong dressing? masculine. and so it goes. I'm happy to report, however, that both the masculine and feminine delegates from our house would love to eat this particular salad. 🙂
Guru Uru says
Haha now I feel macho because I love this salad 😀
It looks like the best of everything stuffed into one refreshing dish!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Anna and Liz Recipes says
Abbé, you crack us up! You are so funny and we love the macho baby photo! Thanks for a delicious salad recipe !
Tricia Buice says
Abbe I just smiled all the way through this post - you are such a fun, creative writer and I bet you have a great time in the kitchen! Yes it was 60 degrees in Denver while Virginia got a foot of snow - oh well. It's almost spring! Did you enjoy the warm weather? I bet it was sooooo nice - and I know this salad was great. I guess it's macho because it's less sweet than some dressings. Who knows - if it taste great - who cares?!? Have a great week!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
I'll be humming Nacho Man all morning now, thank you very much!
I think your macho salad is a very good salad indeed. I love the combination.
vanillasugarblog says
man salad=nothing but condiments, zero lettuce. you're welcome
Sharon D says
Lol..!! Hilarious, Abbe. Thanks to you, it's now in my head that macho salad should come with a lot of meat...lean. This is a beautiful salad, by the way 😉
Liz Berg says
I think Macho Man is going to be running through my brain all night 🙂 This looks like a terrific salad...full of lots of yummy textures and flavors...perfect.
AnnMarie says
Now I have a craving for salad. You had me at oranges and almonds. Yum! I don't think I ever knew what the real definition was for macho. Turns out I do know a few macho men. 🙂 Visiting from SITS
Biz says
That dressing sounds amazing Abbe! Can't wait to try it. Happy Valentine's Day! 😀
Donalyn @ The Creekside Cook says
My husband loves salad, and in warmer months I often come up with main dish variations. This one looks very good!
Deana says
My man loves salad....but it's funny when he has salad for dinner if it doesn't have enough protein I find him with a spoon in the peanut butter jar later in the evening! The dressing sounds delicious! Stopping by from SITS. Your blog is beautiful! #SITSblogging.
Amy (Savory Moments) says
Haha - I like the idea of a macho salad since I really like mine to be hearty and filling. This looks really fresh and delicious!
Abbe Odenwalder says
Macho salad is the way to make everyone happy. Thanks, Amy!
Amanda Karl says
haha love that you call it a macho salad. I'm sure my husband will feel very macho when he eats it. 😉
Anitra Elmore says
Too funny and now I have that Macho Man song in my head. I'm not sure about the salad but I definitely want to dry that dressing! Popping by from SITS.
Abbe Odenwalder says
The salad is great and the dressing is out of this world! Thanks Anitra!
Angie Schneider says
Macho or not...this is a GREAT looking salad, Abbe. Those cornbread croutons are awesome!
Abbe Odenwalder says
Best part, Angie!
Kitchen Riffs says
Odd name, but who cares? Looks like a nice, robust salad. I don't often do cornbread croutons, and should -- they're so great. Lotta good stuff in this salad. Really fun -- and funny! -- post. Thanks.
Abbe Odenwalder says
Thanks, John! the cornbread croutons really make it!
Ansh says
LOL! The Macho salad looks.. well.. really sexy and I am sure human species of the feminine kind would love it too. Enjoy your Hair appointment!
Abbe Odenwalder says
Thanks Ansh! First time I've had someone else do it in years. It felt great! And looks way better than I do! Yes, I do love this salad!
Barb | Creative Culinary says
Call me a macho man...I would love this salad. You are too zany and I love that too! I watched the Beatles the other night and it was so good I watched it again last night. Fabulous show wasn't it?
Abbe Odenwalder says
The only bad thing was I missed the very beginning so I missed Adam! Bummer! It is a great salad!