From the old adage “You can lead a horse to water …” comes this nutritional truism: You can tell people that mac salad is not a great diet choice, but you can’t make them stop eating it.

So instead, trick them.

Madlyn Finger and Steven Lee, culinary students at Kapiolani Community College, have this suggestion: Instead of mayonnaise, use “tofunnaise,” their creation that replaces eggs with tofu. It’s the art of disguise, Finger said. The eggs’ cholesterol, calories and fat are traded for tofu’s calcium and protein.

The two won first place in Saturday’s Healthy-licious Cooking Contest for their entry of crabcakes and a macaroni salad made with their faux mayonnaise.

The Kahala Nui retirement community sponsors the annual cook-off for KCC students. The key ingredient changes each year; the tofu used this time was donated by Aloha Tofu. Entries included tacos, poke and a quiche, all made with tofu.

Pat Duarte, Kahala Nui president and CEO, said the object is to show residents that lighter eating can be tasty, and to expose young chefs to the idea of careers in health care.

Kahala Nui has 365 residents, “and food is very important to every single one of them,” Duarte said.

I got to sit on the judge’s panel, so I can attest to the tastiness of the winning dish. The tofu-mayo wouldn’t fool a mayonnaise connoisseur, but works great when mixed into a salad or used in an aioli over the crabcakes.

The students’ mayo formula is at right. Follow these instructions to use it in a complete meal:

>> Tofunnaise mac salad: Use 1-1/2 cups to 8 ounces dry elbow macaroni. Cook the macaroni and combine with 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix in diced cucumber and shredded carrots.

>> Tofunnaise-Old Bay aioli: Combine 3/4 cup with 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Serve over crabcakes.

Nihon Tofunnaise

• 10 ounces (half-block) firm tofu
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoons white miso
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
• Juice of 1 lime

Press tofu to remove excess water: Place in a colander set over a bowl, put a weighted container on top and refrigerate 15 minutes.

Remove tofu, reserving water. Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes and place with remaining ingredients in a blender. Blend 2 minutes. If mixture is too thick, stir or shake, then blend again. For thinner mayonnaise, add reserved tofu water 1 tablespoon at a time. Makes 11 to 12 ounces and will keep 3 days in refrigerator.

Approximate nutritional information, per 2 tablespoons: 60 calories, 5 g fat, no saturated fat, no cholesterol, 135 mg sodium, 2 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 1 g sugar, 2 g protein

Variation: Leave out the mirin, soy sauce and sesame oil for a more standard mayonnaise taste.

Write “By Request,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813; or email requests to bshimabukuro@staradvertiser.com. Nutritonal analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S