Stuffed Eggplant

To celebrate my sister´s admission to the University of Chicago, I had my sister, her husband, John and my parents over to celebrate. I am very proud of her. I made a big batch of 15 bean soup with cabbage and stuffed eggplant. That day, my husband and I went to the farmers market (find one near you: http://www.localharvest.org/) and picked up the delicious onions and mushrooms that I used in this dish. You can use what ever mushrooms you would like. In this recipe I used half oyster half shitake mushrooms and it came out great.

Stuffed Eggplant
6 servings

2 large or 3 medium eggplants
2 tbs olive oil
2 cups minced onion
1/2 lb chopped mushrooms
1 tsp salt
3 tsp italian seasonings (oregano, majorana, thyme, basil, rosemary and sage or use what you have at home, it is important to have oregano and/or basil)
black pepper to taste
5-6 medium cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup grated cheddar
tabasco (or sriracha) and tamari (read the ingredients to make sure its GF) to taste
handful of sesame seeds
cayenne pepper (or paprika) to taste

Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the inside leaving a 1/2 inch shell. Mince the eggplant scoopings. Heat olive oil in a large pan and medium heat and add onion, mushrooms, salt, herbs, and pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes and then add the eggplant. Cook until the eggplant is tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and sauté for 5 more minutes. Place the mixture into a large bowl. Add rice, 3/4 of the cheese, tabasco and soy sauce and mix well. Taste to correct the seasonings. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Fill the eggplant shells and top with the remaining cheese, sesame seeds and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper. Bake for 30-40 minutes.