I absolutely love making things from scratch and I absolutely love hummus. It was also one of the first foods, along with yogurt that Octave seemed to get excited about. So, we would both eat it by the spoonful and I would think about all the lovely protein our bodies were getting. Hummus is one of the easiest things to make at home but it is one of the few items that I always thought tasted better store bought. It made me sad really. I wanted to make smooth, creamy hummus like some of my favorite brands at the store. I accepted the fact that it might not ever happen, until just last week I found a secret over at Smitten Kitchen. To get that smooth texture, you have to take the skins off the beans. Tedious and slightly more time consuming, yes. However, absolutely worth it! I will never feel the need to buy hummus again. The perfect texture was achieved today, so I made my favorite new crackers to go with it and called it lunch! That is, because I ate almost half the batch. Take the extra 10 minutes to remove the skins, you will be so glad you did. Just softly pinch the wet bean and the skin easily slips off. 
1 cup garbanzo beans
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup cilantro
juice and zest from one lemon
juice from one lime
3-4 tbsp. olive oil
1/3 cup water
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Mix all ingredients in a food processor or high powered blender until smooth. Just keep blending, it took about 5 minutes for me to get the texture I was looking for. Garnish with olive oil, sesame seeds and cilantro.
An Appetite For Color 