Stuffed eggplant

I have no clue if this is really how you make stuffed eggplant; I made this one up, too. but it's good.

1 med-large eggplant (about 1 lb)
rice, brown or whatever you like
1 can of Italian-style diced tomatoes
Mushrooms, sliced (about six?)
1/2 large onion, diced
A couple garlic cloves, minced
basil, pepper, and oregano to taste (add other spices if you feel like it)
Shredded cheese, if desired
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350. In a glass baking dish, spread a thin layer of olive oil on the bottom. Cut eggplant in half lengthwise. Scoop out most of the meat, leaving a very thin layer (about 1/8") of meat inside the eggplant. Save scooped meat. Place eggplant halves in baking dish and put in oven. Meanwhile, prepare rice according to package directions, either on stovetop or in microwave. In a saute pan on medium heat add 1 1/2 T of olive oil. Saute reserved eggplant meat, mushrooms, onion, garlic, and spices until all are soft. Add vegetables to rice, and stir in can of diced tomatoes. Remove eggplant halves from oven. Spoon rice mixture into halves. Top with shredded cheese, if desired (if you go without the cheese, it's vegan!) Return eggplant to oven and bake for approximately 25-30 mins. The key here is to make sure the actual eggplant halves themselves are soft and not tough so you can eat them too. Generally if the skin gets all wrinkly, that's how you know, but it can take some trial and error. You will probably have some rice mixture left over too, yummy for the next day!