Every Day with Rachel Ray

I think I should have a cooking show one day, and the title could rhyme with my name, because I have a last name that is quite easily rhymed with lots of words. I've seen "Every Day with Rachel Ray" just once, and it happened to be when she was cooking some delicious veganizable soup from Tuscany. Here is my veganized recipe of Rachel Ray's ribollita.

INGREDIENTS:
2 tbs of olive oil, plus more for pouring over each individual serving of soup.
4-6 pieces of veggie ham (optional; I think it's delicious, but if you don't, leave it out.)
1 medium yellow onion, diced.
2-4 cloves of garlic, depending on how garlicky you like it.
Two carrots, chopped.
1/3 cup red wine (don't get cooking wine, it's basically just vinegar.)
1 can diced tomatoes (don't drain them; I think the liquid adds to the flavor of the broth.)
6 cups veggie broth.
2 cans of white beans (don't drain these, either; put the liquid into the soup.)
half a loaf of crusty bread.
4 cups kale.
Salt and pepper
Fresh basil (if you can't find fresh basil, dried is okay, too.)
Veggie Parmesan cheese.

First, heat the 2 tbs olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook the veggie ham for about 4 minutes, stirring constantly to make sure it doesn't burn. Turn the heat down, add 3/4 of the diced onion, the garlic, and the chopped carrots, and cook for several more minutes. Add the wine and tomatoes and turn up the heat. When the soup boils, reduce it to a simmer and add the broth and beans, and, if you'd like, half the loaf of bread. (Personally, I prefer having bread to dip in my soup to soggy bread in the soup, but it's your choice.) Fold in the kale, and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the soup has a nice stew-like consistency. Season heavily with salt and pepper, and serve. Top each portion of soup with a drizzle of olive oil, basil, raw onions, and veggie cheese. This serves 4 or 5 people, and there are leftovers, too.

This is definitely my new favorite soup! It's seriously indescribably good, and that's coming from someone who DOESN'T LIKE KALE, YO! Please try it.