I follow the Mediterranean diet and shop at Trader Joe's. Here are 19 things I love to buy and how I use them.

As a Latina, I grew up learning to cook tasty food with great flavor connected to a rich culture. Even before my trips to Spain and Greece last year, the Mediterranean region held a special place in my heart and my kitchen.

As an avid home cook with a lactose-sensitive tummy, I like to make Mediterranean-diet-approved recipes with a twist. Voted the best diet six years in a row, the lifestyle focuses on eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

There are so many ways to use hummus to elevate a dish beyond dipping a pita chip in it for a quick snack. I can easily go through a whole tub in a week.

The roasted bell peppers and marinated pine nuts with a flavorful parsley garnish make this hummus a keeper. It's especially delicious spread on a wrap along with roasted chicken, romaine lettuce, tomato, and cucumber with some feta cheese — a go-to lunch for me.

Olive oil is one of the Mediterranean's biggest and most beloved exports — and for a good reason. The heart-healthy essential fatty acids make it a highly recommended base for a flavorful salad, and its versatility in the kitchen makes it a wonderful pantry item.

I personally love infused olive oils because they add so much flavor and richness to a dish. For example, the organic Spanish garlic-infused, extra-virgin olive oil can be basted on a roasted-lamb recipe to lock in flavor or drizzled in a simple sauté of pine nuts for homemade hummus.

Either way, it smells delicious, and I buy bottles in multiples when I can.

The Citterio meat-and-cheese duo is great when I need a little pick-me-up but don't want a whole meal. It makes it easier and healthier to keep snacks on hand without reaching for chips every time.

Though I'm sensitive to lactose, the Italian semi-hard provolone cheese in this small amount doesn't bother me at all. The salami is a perfectly thin slice of slightly salty meat.

You can eat the meat and cheese on its own or even chop them into a classic Italian antipasto salad.

Most feta cheese in the US is unfortunately made with cow's milk, which is a no-go for lactose-sensitive people like me.

But Trader Joe's authentic Greek feta is made with sheep's milk, and it has the protected designation of origin seal so I know it's real.

It's left in its brine, so the flavor is preserved and the texture doesn't crumble away. That makes it perfect when I make an authentic Greek salad, or horiatiki, which needs an even rectangle block of feta on top of the bed of cucumbers, tomatoes, green pepper, onion, olives, capers, and a dash of oregano.

I don't often use the olives or onions if I'm making a quick side for a meal, but it's delicious either way.

I'd never tried the traditional dish made from stuffed grape leaves until I took a fantastic cooking class in Athens, Greece, last year. Needless to say, I instantly fell in love with the taste.

Sometimes I want a handheld snack, and Trader Joe's tinned dolmas take me back to Greece. I love how delicate and flavorful they still are — even from a can — and you can keep these in your pantry to take with you on the go.

Variations of the Mediterranean starter can also be found in Middle Eastern and Turkish cuisines with changes in the filling.

I like cooking and experimenting with vegetarian or vegan recipes, and it's all about elevating the flavor so you don't miss the protein.

Trader Joe's falafel mix is a great base for a variety of Mediterranean-inspired recipes that you can have some fun with.

The store actually has a delicious recipe on its website called falafel surprise that includes one cup of falafel mix, 3/4 cup of water, one bottle of sunflower oil, 9 teaspoons of crumbled feta cheese, and whatever sides you want from hummus to salad to flatbread.

Zucchini is more than a low-carb vegetable. It can hold delicious flavor on its own when roasted, baked, grilled, or spiraled into spaghetti.

But there's one standout dish I fell in love with on my trip to Athens — classic Greek kolokithokeftede, or zucchini balls.

To make it at home, you need two big whole zucchinis grated and mixed with salt in a bowl. After squeezing out the water from the grated zucchini, mix in two eggs, chopped spring onions, grated cheese, self-rising flour (enough to make a soft doughy texture), a bit of spearmint, and some salt and pepper to season well.

Once you can roll the mixture into small balls, press them gently to flatten and lightly deep fry them in about 1/2 a cup of olive oil until they're a beautiful golden color on both sides. Strain them on a paper towel and serve with your favorite tzatziki (or alternative dip).

I love a good Moroccan mint tea, but I didn't use mint in too many recipes until I started making more Mediterranean-inspired foods.

Mint brings a good balance to everything from appetizers to desserts, and you can find it in many authentic Greek rice dishes, tomato sauces, and roasted meats.

It's also a star for its medicinal properties, like relieving headaches.

I like to add a leaf of mint to my ginger and green teas in the morning for a refreshing start to my day. It also helps me with digestion after a meal, which I highly recommend for every lactose-sensitive foodie out there.

Green onions are a fantastic way to elevate a dish in almost any cuisine. The freshness brightens up a salad or adds a subtle tang to a baked dish.

Trader Joe's gives you a lot of bang for your buck when it comes to its bunches of green onions. I like to find ways to use them and preserve the rest by freezing pre-chopped green onions for easy defrosting when I need them.

Pro tip: For a delicious flavor booster for meat and pasta dishes, chop and sauté the white parts of green onion in some extra-virgin olive oil.

After about a minute on medium heat, add in a bit of minced garlic with a dash of salt and pepper to taste until it becomes fragrant. Add in your next ingredients, and it'll taste like you spent hours over a hot stove.

Though I love a poached egg for brunch, there are so many other recipes across Mediterranean cuisine that are to die for.

From the hearty tortilla de patatas (Spanish potato omelet) to uovo de raviolo (Italian runny-yolk ravioli) to quiche Provençale (French egg tart), it's easy to see how versatile eggs can be with the right mix of ingredients.

One of my personal favorite ways to use eggs is in desserts. I'm Cuban, and I grew up with the Spanish classic flan as my choice of birthday cake.

I learned to make it at a very young age and have loved seeing how connected my culture is with the different egg-custard variations across the Mediterranean, like Italian panna cotta and French crème brulée.

Mediterranean dishes often focus on fish more than meat, so trying new recipes with different kinds of fish and various spices and seasonings got me even more excited in the kitchen.

One dish that blew me away on my first international trip to Barcelona, Spain, was a grilled ahi tuna dressed with extra-virgin olive oil on a bed of arugula with a lemon-zest vinaigrette and a side of truffle roasted potatoes.

The ahi tuna was definitely the star of the dish with a crushed herb rub made of capers, parsley, oregano, basil, red-pepper flakes, and cracked black pepper. It was seared all the way around, with a beautifully delicate pink center packed full of flavor.

I still dream about that dish to this day and definitely plan to go back to Barcelona for food like that when I can. Until then, I try to recreate it at home.

In my opinion, lamb is one of the most delectable meats out there.

There's a simple main-course recipe for roasted lamb and potatoes I learned during my cooking class in Athens that still makes my mouth water. You can use Trader Joe's boneless lamb leg for an easier and faster cooking time.

First, cut a couple of holes in different places around the meat and place peeled garlic cloves, salt, pepper, oregano, and/or rosemary into each one. This will infuse a beautiful aromatic flavor into the meat as it roasts.

Wash, peel, and cut potatoes into medium-sized pieces, and put them in a pan with your lamb. Then mix some lemon juice with 2 teaspoons of mustard and baste it over the lamb and potatoes.

Finish it off with an even sprinkle of that salt, pepper, oregano, and/or rosemary seasoning then pour some water gently into the pan — enough so the lamb and potatoes don't dry out.

Cover it with aluminum foil and bake for an hour and 15 minutes at 480 degrees Fahrenheit, then take off the foil and bake for another 40 minutes for a beautiful golden color throughout the dish.

It's the easiest Mediterranean lamb dish I've seen with the most delightful flavor.

If I could have a walk-in freezer full of Trader Joe's premium salmon burger patties, I absolutely would.

Sometimes, it can get tiring to eat the same kind of meal over and over again. But changing up the menu with a different protein or flavor profile excites my palate.

I love elevating my salmon burgers with a nondairy tzatziki spread I make using either unsweetened coconut-milk yogurt or vegan sour cream (which you can also find at Trader Joe's). I just add a sprig of dill and spearmint and the zest and juice of a lemon.

I like to top the burger with a few thin slices of cucumber, tomato, and some butter lettuce for a softer texture, but you can use fresh romaine hearts for a nice crunch.

Risotto just sounds fancy, but it truly is a comfort food that feeds the soul.

Rice is a plentiful ingredient in most Latin and Mediterranean dishes. But risotto has an elevated appeal because of the variety of ingredients you can use with it while still appreciating the rice as the star of the dish.

Trader Joe's frozen risottos are easily some of my favorite things to keep on hand when I get really busy and don't have time to cook. The lighter asparagus one works well with fish or chicken, and the more robust mushroom option goes amazingly with steak.

I always want to try new recipes with flavors I may or may not like — that's the fun and adventure of cooking.

Truffles can be an acquired taste, but the ravioli was easy to enjoy because the beautifully light lemon-butter sauce brightened it up a bit.

You can try it at home by melting some butter and extra-virgin olive oil in a sauté pan and adding in some lemon juice, salt, pepper, red-pepper flakes, capers, and a touch of nutmeg.

Spoon cooked ravioli into the saucepan and top with freshly grated cheese. You can add a veggie like zucchini or asparagus to add some color and a pop of freshness as well.

Pizza is a universal comfort food.

I love how many recipes I can make using the two premade doughs from Trader Joe's — one is regular and the other is a garlic-and-herb blend.

I love making everything from a Mediterranean-inspired pizza to an Italian-inspired artichoke-and-spinach toasted braid.

But the easiest way to feel like you're eating a pizza and lasagna in one sitting while adding in all the toppings you want is by making a pizza casserole.

The garlic-and-herb dough could honestly be baked on its own with a light brush of egg and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese for some delicious breadsticks or a loaf.

I think the filling for Trader Joe's Greek spanakopita tastes incredibly authentic. The shape also holds together well, and the flakiness of the crust is spot-on.

The feta cheese in the filling is minimal, but the spinach makes me feel healthy as I enjoy the savory baked treat.

The simple ingredients for the pastry include flour, water, sugar, salt, pepper, and Greek olive oil while the filling includes eggs, Greek feta cheese, spinach, leeks, spring and white onions, breadcrumbs, dill, and whole milk.

If you decide to make it at home, you can easily substitute any dairy with an alternative. I personally like almond milk for its neutral flavor.

From Spanish paella to Italian risotto to French pilaf, Spanish saffron is the gold-standard spice used in all of these dishes and more.

There are even desserts that use it to highlight the sweet and heady flavor of real vanilla beans in custards, cookies, and other baked goods.

It also adds a beautifully rich color when simmered with Spanish rice and fish stews.

I'm not much of a wine drinker, but I enjoy a glass or two when I'm really cooking in the kitchen.

The appassimento (Italian for passionate) wine is made by pulling the complex, full-bodied aroma of sun-dried grapes left to intensify under the Mediterranean sun.

When I make that lamb-and-potato dish, this is a red wine I'd reach for to complete the meal.

Trader Joe's has so many bottles, and it often has a wine-tasting kiosk so you can pick the right one. Even if you just want to try something light and sweet, there's someone there who can help you pair it with whatever dish you're making.

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