Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the butternut squash on the sheet and drizzle each half with a splash of olive oil. (just enough to lightly cover each half) Rub the oil over the inside of the squash and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread the chopped carrots onto the parchment paper.

Turn the squash face down and roast until tender ~ 40 minutes. (the flesh will have slightly browned) Set the squash aside.

While the squash is baking, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Stir onion, sage and apple chunks, cook until soft and onion starts to turn golden on the edges ~ 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant ~ 1 minute, stirring frequently.

Use a large spoon to scoop the butternut squash flesh into a blender. Discard the skin. Add roasted carrots, apple onion garlic mixture, vegetable broth, maple syrup, coconut milk, salt and fresh black pepper (be careful not to fill container past the maximum fill line, work in batches if you need to). Blend until creamy smooth. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.

If you soup is piping hot after blending, serve immediately topped with your garnish of choice and some extra fresh black pepper. If not, pour it back into your soup pot and warm the soup over medium heat, stir often until it's steaming. Then serve with your garnish of choice and fresh black pepper.

Peel and remove all seeds from squash, then chop into inch size squares.

In a large pot, stir in onion to 1 tbsp olive oil, cook until soft and starting to turn golden on the edges ~ 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant ~ 1 minute, stirring frequently.

Add vegetable stock, chopped squash, apple and carrots to pot. Stir in sage, cinnamon salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high heat until the broth forms a simmer. Then, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, an simmer for 20-30 minutes until all veggies are soft and mash easily with a fork.

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. (or transfer to a high speed blender and puree until smooth). Stir in the coconut milk before serving. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper.

Serve immediately, topped with your garnish of choice and fresh black pepper.