When you're having one of those days, you really appreciate something delicious to help realign your universe.

On a recent morning, I was rushing to get out the door when I noticed the cat waiting patiently outside. I ran upstairs one last time and grabbed what I needed for my first trip to the car, intending to let him in along the way.

But he was gone. I left the slider open, walked to the car and loaded in my first set of bags. As I turned to head back inside, I saw the cat scurry determinedly into the house. He had something in his mouth. Something big. Something with feet.

Words came out of my mouth that do not bear repeating.

I found him in the living room, a medium-size rabbit clamped in his maw.

It was still alive.

Did mention that this was in my living room?

Now, I'm no novice to feline behavior. I understand that in his little kitty mind, he was bringing me a gift, and I'm supposed to receive it accordingly, get him to drop it, then go out and buy some more cat toys. But this was my living room. Did I mention that?

I used my stern voice and commanded him to take his gift back outside. That's when he went into the basement. I followed and tried again, so he went back upstairs, to one of his favorite spots underneath the coffee table, where he released the rabbit. I found them there, side by side, blinking up at me, as the cat made several attempts to spit out a tuft of bunny fur.

As I grabbed the cat by the scruff and tossed him outside, the bunny ran under the couch. So I flipped the couch onto its back and considered the rabbit. 

When there's a bee in the house, I thought, I catch it under a glass, then slip a piece of paper underneath so I can carry it outside and set it free.

I went to the kitchen. I chose a recently-emptied recycling container and returned with it to the living room and the bunny. His big brown eyes watched my approach and just as I was about to lower the boom, he took off into the kitchen where he began to fling himself against the sliding glass door, prompting the cat, on the other side, to do the same.

I think the bunny must have stunned himself in the frenzy, because I was able to trap him under the bucket. Rabbit secure, I let the cat back in and shut him in the bedroom. When I opened the slider and slowly tilted back the recycling bin, the bunny shot out across the deck like Peter Rabbit running from Mr. McGregor.

Thank goodness I already had this salad packed in my lunch bag.

If you're feeding a crowd, mix up the whole batch. If not, do all the chopping, make the dressing, but just mix up what you plan to eat. It's reliably crunchy, adaptably spicy, and the avocado adds a wonderful silky note. Some days, it's just what you need.

Enjoy!

Jill Blanchette is the multiplatform production editor at The Day. Share comments and recipes with her at j.blanchette@theday.com.