Yummy Butternut Squash Soup with Sage Croutons

Level of Difficulty: A bit of prep work, but nothing you can't handle!
Pots/Pans Used: 3 or 4

Ingredients
Soup:
1 3-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 TBL olive oil
3 tsp salt
pinch of pepper
1 tablespoon Earth Balance
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage (about 6 large leaves)
6 cups vegetable broth

Croutons:
1 baguette
1 TBL olive oil
3 sage leaves, chopped
sprinkle of nutritional yeast flakes

I know, I know. I seem a little squash-happy these days. But hey, They're in season! Okay, I had this soup a few years ago at the Pineyro family Christmas Eve dinner. It was sooooo delicious and Emily Pineyro recommended that I try it out for the blog. This may require a bit more clean-up and prep work but it's still a very simple recipe. Not to mention, once you taste it, you will realize it was well worth every minute you put into making it. If you try only one recipe from my blog, I absolutely recommend trying this one! As my roommate put it after trying a bowl, "It's the best soup I've had in my entire life".
First, Preheat oven to 400. I didn't do this, but boiling the squash whole first makes them easier to cut and peel. In a large bowl, toss the squash with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, 2 teaspoons of the salt, and the pepper. Place the squash on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Turn the cubes over and continue roasting for another 15 minutes. they should be nice and caramelized. Set them aside. In a large pot, heat the Earth Balance and the remaining oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and sage and saute (stirring occasionally) until the vegetables are tender. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Add the roasted squash, vegetable broth, and remaining salt. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, Preheat the oven to 275. Cut or rip up a baguette into medium "croutonesque" sizes. Toss them with 2 TBl olive oil, spread onto a baking sheet, and sprinkle with the chopped sage leaves and a generous portion of nutritional yeast. Bake them in the oven for 10-12 minutes and set aside. Remove the pot of soup from the heat. Using a blender or a food processor, blend the soup in batches until smooth. Please learn a lesson from me and make sure the blender is in the "off" position before plugging it into the wall :). Return to the pot and keep warm on a low heat. Then serve it up in a bowl and top it with some warm, homemade sage croutons!

NOTE: For some reason the color of the soup isn't very accurate in this photo. It is actually much more orange and much less brown. So don't let the color turn you off...