10 Favorite Celebrity Cookbooks (Slideshow)

Eva Longoria's interest in food began to flourish as she grew up on a ranch in her hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas. Throughout her childhood, Longoria helped her family tend to the chicken coop and to the vegetable garden. It comes as no surprise, then, that later in life, this made her seek fresh and locally sourced ingredients in her own cooking. In Eva's Kitchen, she draws inspiration from French, Italian, Caribbean, American, and Hungarian cuisines. She cites her biggest cooking inspiration as her Aunt Elsa — the cookbook includes her personal recipe for biscuits, as well as tips that Longoria learned in the kitchen with her.

Some other recipe highlights include ceviche, her Desperate Housewives co-star Teri Hatcher's banana bread, and a tortilla soup recipe based off one that Longoria found in a magazine more than 10 years ago.

To follow her home-style cookbook My Father's Daughter, Gwyneth Paltrow teamed up with co-author Julia Turshen, a food writer and chef, to write It's All Good. The book focuses on elimination diet-friendly recipes. She says in her book, "I decided that we needed to create this book, not only for my family, but also for anyone out there who struggles with finding truly delicious food to feed their family when health issues need to be addressed." Low-carb, gluten-free, and dairy-free recipes are catered to the whole family while keeping taste and quality in mind.

The simple meals are ideal for those who want to follow Paltrow's lead in favoring a Clean diet, but it's definitely not for everyone. Sample recipes include salmon with Sriracha sauce, lime, turkey meatballs, and flourless fruit crumble.

Alicia Silverstone's vegan cookbook, The Kind Diet, opens with an introduction by Dr. Neal Barnard, who extols the benefits of veganism. He argues that eating a plant-based diet will greatly improve your life as a whole, promising benefits like beautifying your skin and significantly decreasing your risk of cancer. Although these are big promises to keep, the cookbook presents vegan recipes in a non-drastic way by dividing the recipes into vegan-diet "flirts" to "superheroes."

The Radicchio Pizza with Truffle Oil recipe uses a whole-grain crust and forgoes cheese to instead focus on the vegetables, while the recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups calls for vegan butter, graham crackers, and carob chips instead of butter and chocolate.

Sophie Dahl, an author and former fashion model, wrote Very Fond of Food with health-conscious eaters in mind. Her recipe lexicon is low in meat dishes and generous in fresh vegetarian options, and also provides healthy choices like favoring natural sweeteners. She divides her 100 recipes seasonally and according to meal time, delivering autumn breakfast recipes like Tapioca with Stewed Apples and Apricots, and winter breakfasts like Porridge with Poached Plums.

The cookbook also features beautiful food photography, and shows Dahl's whimsical side, which can be partially attributed to her being Roald Dahl's granddaughter. 

Stanley Tucci grew up in a lively Italian household that treated food as another member of the clan. The Tucci Cookbook was born out of his commitment to keep his family's recipes alive. While Tucci shares recipes from his family's Southern Italian heritage, he also shares meals that he has learned to make from Northern Italian chef Gianni Scappin. The classic Italian recipes stay close to their roots, and Tucci delivers the variety that's paramount to a successful cookbook.

Tucci explains that he likes to greet his guests with wine and appetizers already served so that his guests can feel instantly welcomed into his home. Recipes include marinated olives, bruschetta, and grilled mozzarella cheese — and that's only the beginning.  

Amy Sedaris crafted her hospitality how-to book, I Like You, with her usual humor, but also with helpful insight into planning a great night. Along with her tips like "never arrive 15 minutes early," she also shares favorite recipes like Aunt Kathy's Cheesecake and Sarah Thyre's Oxtail Ragout. She includes some recipes for comedic effect, too, like "the best root beer float": take two scoops of vanilla ice cream and put in your favorite glass, then pour "as much root beer as you can on top." I Like You is a half-serious hospitality guide that shares a glimpse into Sedaris' culinary side.

Jessica Seinfeld teamed up with a professional chef and a nutritionist to write Deceptively Delicious, a cookbook and guide to helping parents feed their children nutritious meals without complaints. As a mother of three, Seinfeld learned how to feed her kids vegetables by "tricking" them and hiding nutritious foods in dishes they already enjoy. One of her tips is to incorporate puréed cauliflower or yellow squash into macaroni and cheese so that the vegetables are camouflaged by color. There's also a favorite family recipe for brownies that incorporates spinach and carrot purée into the mix.

The cookbook not only offers advice about feeding kids in a healthy way, but it also offers nutritional help by breaking down which nutrients are essential to childhood development. 

Tony Danza teamed up with his son Marc to create their Italian-American cookbook, complete with 50 of their favorite family recipes. This family-centric cookbook makes sure to cite the dish's author, when possible, like Uncle John's Pasta with Prosciutto Sauce and Mother's Lasagna. There are also stories about the family and their mealtimes, as well as the traditions that have developed over the years, like Sunday family dinners, where their "famous" sauce would be served. This collection of Italian home cooking will bring you into the heart of the Danza family, while teaching you how to cook like them.

Sheryl Crow teamed up with her personal chef Chuck White to create her cookbook of seasonal healthy recipes, If It Makes You Healthy. When the singer was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, she started paying attention to what she was cooking and how her food choices were affecting the environment. Her cookbook includes vegan-friendly recipes as well as meals that incorporate sustainably raised and organic meats and fish. Crow and White's version of bruschetta is topped with a tofu spread and summer vegetables for a healthy spin, while Asian-influenced dishes like a miso-marinated sea bass served with an orange ponzu sauce add an interesting dimension to the recipe index.

Maya Angelou has had some food overindulgence problems in her past, but since her 35-pound weight loss, she can still appreciate the value of flavorful food that's eaten in moderation. Her second cookbook, Great Food, All Day Long, encourages readers to eat small portions of satisfying flavors throughout the day. Her delicious recipes are mindful of fat content and she makes an effort with each one to use healthier oils like canola or olive oil instead of butter. The recipes hail from a variety of influences, from Mexican cuisine with pork tacos to Swedish with authentic dishes like pyttipanna.